The Rebel Heart Incident: A Road Less Traveled
by donnieth65
Summary: After being sent out into the wasteland by UP-26, Orange the unicorn finds himself facing a new world that he never knew existed. His mission, to bring back reinforcements to help 26, but upon encountering raiders for the first time, Orange learns that it might not be so simple. (Story inspired by "The Incident of Stable 28" by Yolo Hobo Joe. Written with permission.)
1. Rebel Heart: Preface

**Rebel Heart: Preface**

The Rebel Heart Incident: A Road Less Traveled follows a unicorn pony named Orange Juice on his journey through the wasteland. This takes place during the events of The Incident of Stable 28. This story is written by Yolo Hobo Joe and Orange is his character. The universe I am writing Rebel Heart in is owned by Yolo, and I give him due credit. He has however given me permission to write this story.

My inspiration came from the fact that I wanted to know more about the character Orange, who is a side character in Stable 28 that Yolo only mentions briefly a couple of times. I kept getting ideas of scenes I could write and when I read a comment on Yolo's story from FlamingFoxNinja, where Foxy asked Yolo if there would be a story for Orange, I thought that it would be so fun to write that story myself. I immediately PM'd Yolo and soon after got his permission.

Since this is taking place in Yolo's Fallout Equestria universe, I will be using his lingo. Please note that some of the Fallout words that are used in Rebel Heart are his and not mine. Not to say I don't like his mash up of Fallout lingo and MLP lingo. Some examples include Pip-Buck, which I would've called a Pip-Colt, or Tenpony Tower which I would've called Tenbit just because in Fallout it is Tenpenny and since penny is a currency as bit is in MLP, that would transfer in my mind, but I see what Yolo did with switching penny and pony. Though I like Pip-Colt better, Tenpony sounds far better than Tenbit to be honest.

Lol, I digress. I only added this blip as a humor to myself XD. I enjoy his lingo. In all honesty it is author's preference and own choice of expression and there is no one right way to do it. Just know that I will respect Yolo's universe and use his wording, but note in my own future Fallout Equestria stories, some of my words may be different.

I love Yolo's story! I have read all the chapters written for it and will continue to do so. I highly recommend the Incident of Stable 28. Though if you don't want to read that, I'd say the only chapter that you need to read to help better your understanding of Rebel Heart is Chapter 13, the chapter in which 26, the main character of Stable 28, sends Orange off on his adventure that I am writing in The Rebel Heart Incident. Though if you're going to read Chapter 13, I insist you read all of Stable 28. It is absolutely an amazing, well written story. Please go and read it and leave reviews for Yolo, he would highly appreciate that.

Okay, now for The Rebel Heart Incident: A Road Less Traveled. I am excited to be writing this story. The first chapter was so fun to write. Orange Juice is such a cute, naive character that has a big heart. His personality has already made this story a joy to begin. Just with any story I write, I hope to share that enjoyment with you. I already have big plans for Orange. He's going to get as much attention and love that I devote to all my characters and stories. Just you wait ;)

 **Okay, love ya! Enjoy!**

 **Brohoof! /)**


	2. Chapter 1 Orange Juice

**Chapter 1** Orange Juice

The outside world was a marvel. I stared up at the skyscrapers that never in my wildest dreams I thought even existed. They touched the sky like hooves reaching for hope. I felt that in my heart, making me smile for the first time in at least 5 years, since before I'd known any better living in the Overmare's stable. I'd left Stable 28 behind. I knew the saying 'don't look back' but I did. I had to. It was the only home I'd ever known and I was leaving it behind.

That giant gear that acted as a door loomed ominously behind me, the large yellow 28 painted in that Stable-Tech font stared down at me. It asked me why I'd left and betrayed everything I'd ever known. I knew why.

A stallion from the stable had come to save me from the cells. Everypony had thought he had already escaped, but he'd come back. He'd risked everything just to save me from decommission. Not that I really knew what that word meant. I admit, I know I'm not the sharpest crayon in the box. I was forever grateful. I mean, all I knew is that I had been saved and that I had some sort of mission. And,

 _He'd called me Orange. Nopony ever called me by a name. It's cute, I like it._ Orange, my name was Orange...Orange something. I'd get to that later. Right now I just closed my eyes and beamed at the door that had closed behind me.

* * *

 _He gave me a gun, a bulky silver pistol that held weight in my hoof. I stared at it in wonder._

 _"You know how to use one of those, right?" he asked me._

 _"No, but I'm a quick learner." I gulped, staring wide eyed at the weapon. Did this stallion know how scared I was?_

 _"Hey, you can do this Orange," the stallion smiled at me, having complete faith. I didn't know why he was giving it to me. I was nothing._

 _"Orange?" I stared up into his eyes. He was already glancing around behind him._

 _He slapped my flank hard, making it sting, yelling, "Go!" as soon as I started running, my turquoise tail bobbing behind me, I heard gunshots, bullets pinging off the metal all around me but missing. I was safe outside the stable…_

* * *

That stallion, UP-26—or was he 27 now, I was 26—he had saved me. He had told me to go out into the wastes to find help. Did he want me to bring that help back to Stable 28? I wasn't sure I ever wanted to come back. Well, with the closed door of the stable blocking reentrance, my only option was to travel into the city that lay in wait. It was a treasure trove waiting to be rediscovered.

It was a bit desolated and ruined though, I had to admit. But all this destruction was beautiful in its own right. The first thing I noticed was a strange sound, like the hiss of static of the intercom in our cells just as somepony opened or closed a broadcast. But it lasted longer than that. The static was ongoing.

I decided to follow the noise, curious. I felt like a colt again, learning everything for the first time. The world was at my hooves and I didn't wanna miss a second of it. I was gleeful as I found a small ham radio. I didn't know what was so exciting about it, but I picked it up in my weak magical grasp, the only spell I was good at was this simple levitation spell. It's not like I was allowed to practice magic in the cells.

I smiled as I twiddled with the dials, wanting to know if the device still worked.

" _Helllloooooo wasteland! DJ Pon3 here, wishing you a bright day."_ I jumped, nearly dropping the radio as a very ecstatic voice came over the airwaves. I had not been expecting anything of that sort. The voice continued, " _Whoo, that last song just gets me every time. It makes you feel like even with everypony against you, you can still beat them and pick yourself back up. I hope we can all feel like that. Here's an example: The farmer over at Red Light was able to fend off a horde of Bloatsprites, keeping his crops safe. He then went on to donate a portion of his crops to an orphanage in a settlement closeby his farm. Now that's just downright touching. Alright, here comes a song sung by the Cutie Mark Crusaders together. I just love this song."_ the upbeat music started, three perfect voices from a lost era making the music burst from the radio like sweet shining light. It made me want to get up and dance. I found my flank shaking against my will and I whooped in laughter at the sight of my own butt shaking to music. When was the last time I'd ever felt this good?

"Yeah!" I whooped as the radio played. I picked up the radio and put it in a small saddle bag that UP-26 had given me. That pony had done so much for me, I don't even know if he realized that.

Then I noticed my Pip-Buck buzzing. I looked down at it with a smile, but when what I saw confused me I began to frown. It looked like it was rewriting its own programing. It ran lines of code down, then when the green indecipherable text dimmed, it showed the main screen, the status screen. On my EFS—Eyes Forward Sparkle—I saw a message in the upper left of my sight in green letters. It read, STABLE 28 SERVICE DISCONNECTED. ADMINISTRATIVE SETTINGS REMOVED. PIP-BUCK FUNCTIONS RESTORED.

So I could access whatever I wanted? I noticed a few new things on the EFS I hadn't been able to see before, such as a compass and a health gauge at the center bottom of my vision, an AP bar at bottom right, and a crosshair in the very center. The health bar faded as it wasn't in use, as did the AP bar. I saw a fraction put in place of the AP bar, 12/96, showing me the ammo I had in use for my weapon over my total ammo. That meant I had 8 rounds. The ammo count faded away too.

I was excited to experiment with my fully functioning Pip-Buck. I flipped a few dials, able to access pages I hadn't been able to before. There was my inventory, a list of everything I had with me. Most of it I had gotten from 26. I had 10 Purified Waters, 10 Apples, 15 Health Potions, 15 Rad-Aways, the ham radio, my 10mm pistol and ammo. All of this was sorted into their own respective categories, so far just Weapons, Aid, Misc and Ammo had anything in them, Apparel (in between Weapons and Aid) was empty because I wasn't wearing anything.

I was now able to access more functions in the data section of my Pip-Buck, including my local and world maps. The Quest tab had a new label called "A Road Less Traveled" and the description mentioned UP-26. One of the objectives said to locate DJ Pon3 at Tenpony Tower.

The radio tab indicated that a new station had been found, the Celestial News Radio. I guess I didn't need that ham radio afterall, but I decided to keep it anyway. It was my first discovery out here in the wasteland, and it made me happy. Even if it was a bit rusted and dusty. I could clean it when I found some time.

In the glare on the screen of my Pip-Buck, I saw something in the reflection. I turned around to find that a short distance away, four ponies were making their way down the road at an intersection to the one I was on. Seeing other ponies out here and knowing I wasn't alone gave me a sense of elation. I noted that they wore strange makeshift armor like they'd scrapped it together from rubble and junk from the street, and the icons on my compass were red instead of green, but I didn't know what any of that meant and I was excited.

"Hey!" I began shouting, "Hey!" I began to race toward them. I saw one of the stallions bump his buddy with an elbow. They both smiled and drew guns. I skidded to a halt when the weapons were pointed at me and the ponies didn't stop smiling sadistically like that.

"H-hey there, I was just looking for some help s'all. What're you guys doing?" I heard the chuckle of a mare, bringing back memories I'd sooner rather forget. "Can't you help me?" I pleaded, "I'm new out here in the wastes…"

"Fresh pickings," I heard one murmur to his friend. Three stallions and a mare rounded on me. The four of them were working together and stallions were the majority? This was a different world.

Really, that's what my mind was set on? I opened my mouth to speak once more when suddenly they opened fire for no reason. I jumped out of the way, landing behind a pile of rubble. Their bullets bounced off the cement and concrete that barricaded me. I pulled my pistol from the holster that 26 had quickly strapped to my hip before slapping me and making me run.

I had no idea what to do with this thing, but I knew I could learn quickly. I would have to learn quickly. I popped my head out and aimed. I wasn't a good shot but I fired off warning shots. "Hey guys, we can work this out right? I just wanted your help!" I heard laughter as they continued firing at me and ignoring my pleas. All to the sound of a song that sang of finding yourself and being your best you. I was certainly going to be a dead me if I didn't get my act together soon.

They got quiet for a second. I peered around the corner. There was a little robot floating in the air, I wondered what it was. But that wasn't the most important thing that caught my eye. The ponies who had been shooting at me were quiet because they were getting one more to their ranks. Another pony wearing huge amounts of armor. He looked bulky, and his face was covered by a helmet. But the worst part? He carried a huge minigun. It powered up at the sickly laughter of my attackers.

"Hey!" I yelped. Bullets rained down on my barricade of debris, punching holes through the concrete boulders. Another pony added his own fire to the mix. Literally. He had a flamethrower, the pillars of flame finding their ways through the holes the bigger guy had put in the wall.

With only one option available to me, I blindly stuck my gun out and began firing, crying, "I just wanted to ask if you were willing to help me! That's all!" My heart was wrenched as the weapons fire quieted and I heard cussing. I peered around the corner of my tiny safe haven. Two of the ponies were dead, the others backing off. I looked at my gun, "So that's how this works."

I sat back hard against the rubble. My back slammed into the hard edges, but I didn't care. I stared down at the silver pistol. Tears began to form in my eyes as I realized I had killed somepony.

I'd only been out in the wasteland for an hour, and already I wanted to go home.

* * *

I don't know how long I had been sitting there in that spot before I decided to pick myself up. I could get over this. I would have to at least try. I tried smiling, but it just wasn't the same as before. I was shaking a bit as I began to walk.

I noticed on the compass a small outline of a triangle. I didn't know what that meant, but I decided to follow it. I kept it in the center of the compass, eyes on the prize. I was getting excited for whatever I was about to discover. I could see I was approaching a rather large open space of asphalt with painted lines. I didn't know what this place was. I knew it wasn't part of the street, the street diverged into this area.

I was heading towards the big building and the glass doors when I had to stop in my tracks. My stomach gurgled painfully. I was starving. I gritted my teeth, realizing I hadn't even eaten breakfast. I clenched at my stomach, trying to ease the ache. I had 10 apples, but it probably wasn't a good idea to eat the only food I had in one go. I had to find more food.

I focused on the building in front of me. There were big words on the front. Reading wasn't my strong suit though. It wasn't something we needed to know in the stable. Of course the technology on my Pip-Buck, EFS and SATS was able to decipher anything within those programs for my brain, but words out in the real world were a bit harder. This time I got lucky though. The map database suddenly picked up on my location, and words appeared in the upper left area of my vision.

You have discovered

BITTSBERG SUPER DUPER MART

Well, now I knew where I was. A grocery store. My stomach rumbled again. I approached, barely knowing what to expect. Eat, sleep, talk and service, that's all stallions knew. But I mean, I had a gist of an idea, and I knew when it came to being hungry, I had just hit the jackpot.

I was ignorant to what I was getting myself into, but the large size of the grayish-blue building filled my heart with a sort of joy. I gawked up at it, my mismatched eyes—one tangerine orange the other sea green—full of childlike wonder. "This is so cool!" I breathed in awe. Another growl from my protesting stomach shot me forward and through the doors, but I now had a gleeful smile on my face.

I was chomping down on one of my apples as I entered, that red juicy succulent-ness hopefully sating my hunger until I found more to eat. I ate it in two big bites. _Mmm!_

In the cart area I realized two things: one it was dark, and two it was messy. I almost tripped on a fallen trash can. I gasped, "Woah!" My eyes widened as I stumbled and the motion activated doors opened to allow me through. As I regained my balance I cast my gaze around what I could see of the big empty supermarket.

I was staring at a ghost, a shell of past glory. The bones of the former Super Duper Mart lay before me. The shelves barely had any stocks left. It had all been scavenged and swept clean. Did that stop my naive and hopeful heart? No. I was still basically a colt, and I was discovering the world for the first time. I was curious and excited. I set forth to see what treasure chest awaited me here.

I wandered the rows and rows of white shelves, most discolored after years without a pony to attend them. Who knew how long it had been? I had been given basic history of the stable, that stallions had always been and always would be subservient to mares. But history of the outside world. I only had my imagination, which believe me, was quite overactive.

Despite having not found anything yet, I had a dumb smile on my face. I had no cares in the world. I even reactivated my radio, needing more fun, uplifting music. This time it was somepony named Sapphire Shores. I found myself walking with a bounce in my step, dancing to nowhere in particular. But I was picked up and feeling positive. _I love it when my butt shakes!_ I found myself giggling.

A light caught my attention. A faint glow, but I saw it. I hummed as I skipped over random tin cans and other trash. I came out of an aisle towards the opposite side of the store from where I'd come in. I was in the cold section. One of the cooling units was actually functioning! I saw centuries old drinks sitting inside a cooler, fully stocked and organized on their shelf.

 _Well, here's my treasure trove._ I thought to myself with a smile. I stepped up to the glass. I saw white and chocolate milk, Sparkle-Cola, a couple different juices, including lemonade and orange juice. Lemonade and orange juice…why did that ring a bell?

* * *

 _There was a drink sitting on the mare's bedside table, under the lamp. It was in a glass, with a red straw poking out. It was a thick orange liquid, with some foam at the top._

 _"What is that?" I asked her curiously, eyeing it._

 _The mare laughed, picking up her cup and taking a sip. "See, this is why I like you." she giggled as she set her cup down again._

 _"Why?" I frowned nervously at her, my ears pressing against my head._

 _"That's orange juice. It's my favorite drink, just like you're my favorite stallion." her eyes held the most kindness than any other mares' I had ever serviced._

 _"What do you like about it?" I stared at the orange juice. It was a marvel, a new thing, a new idea in my mind. I didn't want to ever look away._

 _"I like its citrusy flavor, that it's tangy, but unlike lemonade, orange juice is sweet."_

 _"Lemonade?" I glanced at her briefly, but then looked back down at the drink, my chin on my hooves, which rested on the nightstand._

 _"It's sour," said the mare._

 _"I've never had either drink." I replied, finally meeting her eyes._

 _"You haven't?" the mare was appalled._

 _"No…" then I smiled stupidly at her, "but orange juice is my favorite drink if it's yours."_

 _"But you've never even had it!"_

 _"That's okay," I shrugged._

* * *

"Orange Juice." I whispered. My name could be Orange Juice! I smiled, thinking it was cute and fitting.

I had remembered that morning from just a couple years ago. How orange juice was my favorite drink despite having never tasted it. We weren't allowed to drink things like that. Now here I was, staring at a cooler full of the forbidden fruit. A mare who was always kind to me made it my favorite drink, now here I was with a chance to actually drink it.

I opened the cooler, a blast of cold air washing over me like a sea breeze. When I imagined an ad for orange juice, I imagined a nice beach, a red and white umbrella shading the pony drinking the juice from the bright sun, and that red straw the mare had used, with little bite marks on it.

I put 15 of each drink in my bag, but took one orange juice to try right now. I opened the cap, lifting the bottle slowly to my lips. _Ping, ping!_ I dropped the bottle before getting the first sip to my mouth. Orange juice spilled everywhere. I was being shot at!

I ducked for cover, disappointed I hadn't gotten to drink my favorite drink. I took out my gun. Aiming around the corner, I saw more ponies that looked similar to the ones that had shot at me out in the street a few hours ago. I sighed, not liking this one bit. Turning off the radio, I faced my attackers, the fun over.

* * *

 _ **(Chapter 2 set for 3/2/17 10:00am CT**_

 _Hello everypony, I hope you enjoyed that first chapter! As I am currently writing Shades and Tails I am not sure if I'll be able to accurately enter a date for next chapters for this story. I will try when possible. What did everyone think of this first chapter? I hope it was as cute and heartwarming as I thought it was, excluding the raiders XD._

 _Kk, love ya and see ya soon!)_

 **Brohoof! /)**


	3. Chapter 2 Safety Blanket

**Chapter 2** Safety Blanket

I was starting to think that maybe I needed a better gun. A tiny pistol against four ponies carrying rifles and other large guns. I was at a disadvantage. I felt like I was pushed into a corner, and I was scared. I didn't back down though. I lifted my pistol, aiming for the nearest pony. They may be intimidating, and maybe I was visibly shaking, but at least nopony could say I didn't go down fighting.

Suddenly, as I lifted my pistol, the world seemed to slow down, my attackers freezing in place. They all bore angry expressions, focused on their one target: me. But now they had stopped coming, and one of them, the closest to me, had been highlighted by a green glow. Was this…SATS? Stable-Tech Assisted Targeting System. How had I done that?

RAIDER said the label placed beneath the pony. His health bar was red because he was an enemy, but it was full. I'd been firing on these ponies and I'd been missing every shot. I shook my head and bit my lip. What now? I noticed the raider's limbs were highlighted, percentages next to them. Most were above 70%, only the head was lower. Torso was the highest at 95%. I selected that by focusing on it, queuing three to see what would happen.

I found myself able to easily aim and fire my weapon on the approaching raider, and suddenly he went down. My eyes widened. I had done that! This was so cool! I was able to aim so much easier now. This new capability thrilled me. I felt a lot more positive that I could handle this now.

The only thing was though, when the raiders went down, they didn't get back up. That bothered me. Of course, somewhere in the back of my mind I think I knew what was happening. But they were shooting at me, and I didn't want to think about it. I didn't want to admit to myself that I was making a mistake in reacting so quickly. I was too new to all this. I had no idea what I was doing. It was a wonder 26 had chosen me for this at all.

Four raiders lay at my hooves, and I stared down at the bloody mess in horror. What had I done? I dropped my pistol. It clattered to the tiles, scattering the dust. I felt like sinking down myself, but I knew I had to get out of here.

I shook myself off and picked up the 10mm, putting it back in its holster on my hip. I was shaken up, and jumpy. Something caught my attention as I moved to find the exit. A shotgun that one of the raiders had been using. I picked it up, noting its weight in my hooves. Searching through the raider's saddle bag, I found some rounds for it. Now I had two weapons.

I moved off at a fast pace. Every shadow I saw made my heart skip and every sound I heard made me jump. I was a startled colt looking for solace where there was none. I thought I heard laughter coming from a room behind a department counter, but the door was closed tight and I thought I was being paranoid. I raced toward the automatic doors that marked my escape.

"Hey!" Came a shout from behind me. Then I heard the click of a gun.

I didn't want to face this, I didn't want to fight. No more raiders, no more wasteland. I just wanted to crawl into a dark hole and curl into a ball. I needed to be alone so I could calm down. Over and over I asked myself what I had gotten myself into. Nopony wanted to help me, they just wanted to kill me. Did they find it fun, I wondered, to scare a lost puppy like me? I thought I must look pretty stupid at this point.

The sun was beginning to set behind its clouds. Dusk was quick approaching as I made my way across the parking lot. I thought to myself, _I still haven't gotten to eat._ My stomach was no longer growling like an angry kitty though. Hunger must've been scared out of me. I saw a gas station across the street, a Hippocamp Energy gas station. Intrigued, I made my way toward it.

The sign marked the area. It stood tall and had the logo of a pony with a fish tail circling around a map of Equestria. There were a couple cars parked next to some gas pumps, but they were broken down and rotting, and their wheels were missing. I picked my way across the broken asphalt that was full of potholes. I stepped in some nasty brown liquids. I lifted a hoof, shaking it off. I sniffed at it, but it was nasty and I made a face.

The station itself was empty and devoid of life. Nopony was around. I went into the small building where I came into a small store. Similar to the Super Duper Mart, the shelves were mostly empty. But I did see a countertop display with exactly three packages of something called Dandy Colt Apples. Underneath the label was a picture of a smiling orange, freckle faced mare wearing a brown cowboy hat. I couldn't understand the words printed beneath her picture though.

I took all three boxes, putting two in with the rest of my inventory and opening up the other. Sitting down behind the counter, where I hoped nopony would find me if they did happen to come in here, I began to eat the sugary apples. It was extra sweet, and made my mouth water. This was the best thing I'd ever tasted! I tipped the box and put one apple slice on my hoof, staring at it. It was bite sized, and had crystals of sugar all over it. It made my hooves sticky. I licked some sugar off, savoring the sweet taste that I'd never known food could taste like. If I could thank somepony for providing these apples, I suppose it would have to be the orange mare on the box.

I smiled at her picture, "Thanks, whoever you are."

* * *

 _I was lost in the corridors of the stable. How had I gotten so turned around? All I had had to do was follow that purple mare back to the cells. I was bound to get in so much trouble for this. Nopony was around, and I hoped it stayed that way. I stared at directional signs when I came to them, hoping to make sense of them, but none of them did. I couldn't read._

 _This was hopeless. I was so lost! Worst of all, a stallion wasn't supposed to be out wandering the stable ever. He was either with a mare or in his cell. I was neither. If I was caught who knew what kind of punishment I'd get. I heard the more it happened, the worse it got, until eventually they just decommissioned you. I didn't want any of that._

 _I found myself sinking down by a random door in a side hallway. The door slid open and I fell in, landing on my back. I sat up as the door closed and sealed again, but I was still alone. It was a tight space. The light above barely illuminated the small room, which I now realized was a storage closet. A broom and mop were leaning against the wall and there were shelves full of cleaning supplies._

 _One item caught my attention though. A bright green box with a picture of apples. Beneath the label a smiling orange mare. I'd heard mares in the stable mention this yummy snack before. Dandy Colt Apples. I'd never had them._

 _Wondering who'd left them here, and if I'd get in even more trouble if I tried some, I began to open the box without any second thoughts or thinking about the consequences. It couldn't hurt to try one, right? The side I was peeling open was only partially ripped, when suddenly the door of the closet hissed open. I jerked and dropped the box, which shot forward. I bumped something behind me and the mop fell down, landing on my head._

 _I heard the stifled laughter of a mare. "Hey there, what are you doing here?" I brushed aside the mop hairs in my face, looking up at the mare with fright in my mismatched eyes. She had a black and white coat, not unlike a zebra's. I almost thought she was one._

 _I could only stutter in response, thinking her only reaction could be anger. "I-I-I—"_

 _"Let me stop ya there. Lucky it was me who found you. I'll bring you back to your cell. You can bring the Dandies if you want."_

 _I had brought them back with me, but too grateful to the mare who had found me, and too afraid of getting in trouble, I never ate them._

 _"Thanks, whoever you are." I said to her._

* * *

I lay on my back, head against the back of the counter as support. One hoof was on my stomach and my tongue was sticking out. I had a dopey expression on my face and I felt tired. Those apples had been good. I was full now. Now I was content to lie in a food coma for awhile and not think about anything.

Not even the glop they gave us in the cells ever made me this full. I poked at my belly where it was rounded from eating a whole box of apple slices. I giggled, unexpectedly gleeful. It was all smiles for me, until I realized my cheeks were wet. I was crying. I hadn't even noticed. It was just so much shoved on my shoulders at once. I didn't want to fail 26, but the wasteland was scary and dangerous. I didn't know if I could do it.

A cute little bell tinkled, I hadn't noticed before, but I knew it was the bell above the door. Somepony had just come into the gas station. I turned on my side. Directly in front of me were crumpled papers, empty drink bottles, and other litter. I saw a poster on the far end of the room, ironically for the Ministry of Image, most likely telling ponies to pick up after themselves and not litter. I blew at the junk, the air pushing it just slightly.

I moved my chin up a little, peering from my spot on the floor into the rest of the station. I heard somepony in there, moving around, mumbling to themselves. "There has to be something of worth here. The raiders can't have everything. Buck!" I wondered what that was all about.

I got up almost unconsciously, wanting to see who it was. I followed the sound of his voice, ducking my head and staying low. I was curious but not stupid after two encounters with hostile ponies. But maybe, just maybe this one wouldn't be dangerous. He could help me! I peered around the corner of a shelf at him. He was holding open the door of an empty cooler, looking in. Then he walked in. Wait what?!

I raced forward, then stopped just short of the door, peering through the glass. There was an area behind the cooler shelves. Had that been like that in the supermarket too? I had no idea, but I was more eager than ever. I pulled open the magnetic door and skipped in. It was a bit cooler in here, but not by much. The floors were just concrete, no tiles and There were shelves and storage units everywhere. Crates were piled up, or sitting on shelves and I wondered if this was probably a storage room like they had in the stable.

I had lost sight of the other pony, but I could've sworn I could still hear him. I shrugged. I'm sure I'd see him again. For now I wanted to explore. This place was cool. I had a bounce in my step as I moved forward, and a tune from a song on the radio stuck in my head. I was humming as I took a crate and looked inside. It was empty, but I wasn't surprised, or as angry as the other stallion about not finding anything. You just needed an upbeat heart and a little bit of patience. Oh! Those were the words to the song in my head! I grinned like an idiot at realizing that.

I rounded another corner, and there, straight ahead of me, was the stallion that'd come in earlier. His back was to me, as he was preoccupied by something else. "Would ya look at that," he was muttering, "bet nopony knew Hippocamp Energy put hidden garages in the back of their freezers. Just gotta crack this stupid code."

My hoof landed on a glass bottle, which shot the bottle forward where it shattered against the metal door of the garage. I squeaked and fell back on my haunches. "Ow!" My bangs fell into my eyes.

The stallion spun around, "Who the buck are you? Thinking you're gonna get in on my cash, huh? Buck off!"

"I-I'm sorry, I d-didn't mean to intrude. I j-just wanted to see w-what you were doing. I was c-curious." I gulped, taking in the stallion's massive height and his strong, toned looking muscles.

"Curious? Yeah right, you wanted my find. Well, ain't nopony getting between me and that garage!"

"I didn't even know there was a garage!" I shuddered as he took a step toward me.

"I'm sick and tired of stupid wastelander lies." he pulled out a large carbine, aiming at me. "You'd do well to give me those guns. Don't need anymore problems today."

"Th-these are mine," I began to get up. He cocked his gun. It made a click and my heartbeat picked up. I was nervous, but I was gonna stand my ground. I'd had so much taken from me in the stable. If 26 taught me anything within the hour I'd known him for, it was that I deserved more than what I had. "No," I said.

"I'll shoot you!" he threatened me.

I closed my eyes, "Do it. But you know what would be better. If we didn't have to fight. You know, my EFS doesn't label you red like it does raiders. You could be nice if you tried."

"That's wishful thinking. The wasteland doesn't work like that. Especially if the disappearance of caravans is any indication." I heard the stallion's hoof tighten on the trigger, but he didn't do anything. I waited. Slowly, I peeked one eye open. "Oh buck this! It isn't worth it." he put his gun back and shot forward. At a gallop, he was gone just as quickly and angrily as he'd come. Yet again, I was alone.

I stood there for a second. That had been so weird. I didn't understand why he hadn't just shot me to get what he wanted. It would've made so much more sense than the raiders shooting me for no apparent reason. But he hadn't.

Seeing the terminal that stallion had been using earlier, I went to it. I wanted to know what he had been doing. There was a screen with a bunch of words and symbols on it. It made no sense. One word was highlighted and thinking it didn't hurt to experiment, I hit the big enter button. The screen changed, a line of text appearing. Then two options appeared, and I recognized the word 'Open'. I hit enter again. The garage door jerked, then with a loud screeching sound that made me cover my ears, it began to slide upward.

I whooped in excitement, jumping into the air in a sort of victory dance. I'd only hit one button and I had accomplished something. After settling down, I walked into the garage. Inside I found a big truck, the back open. I climbed up the ramp, looking all around myself. I was alone as always. The truck was full of big metal trunks. I unlatched them quickly, impatient to see what they held inside.

Confused, I pulled out a lightweight piece of armor. It was all black. My Pip-Buck labeled it as Combat Armor. I decided to put it on. I was confused though because I didn't get why an energy company would have armor shipped to one of their gas stations. The other crates were full of food and medical supplies. I guessed these things would probably have been put into first aid kits, my best guess three kits for the store, one for each bathroom and one for the counter. The extra medicine was for backup kits.

None of that mattered, medicine was a great find. I grabbed a bunch of Rad-Aways, Rad-X's, Med-X's, and health potions. There were also a few aluminum boxes of mentals. I'd never heard of those, even in the stable. They looked good though, so I took some. I was done here, not really wanting anything else.

Back in the shop, I stopped and stared at the door. It was so dirty you couldn't see through the glass, but I was instantly reminded of that pony who'd come in earlier. He wasn't so much angry as he was devastated. He had a goal to find something of value and he was never able to. I had gotten in his way this time, and I wondered about everything that he'd faced in the past. Thinking about him made me feel bad. I felt alone and sick to my stomach. Too many Dandy Colts. Ugh, it made me think of stable life.

I was always alone. The mares didn't give us cellmates. Out here in the wasteland, where my goal was to find somepony to help me, I felt useless. Lost and helpless. What had anypony really expected? The city was amazing, and I knew I would look forward to exploring it. But I would be more happy if I didn't have to explore it alone. It was dark outside now, and I was only reminded of my cell.

* * *

 _I was shivering under my blankets in my bed. Nopony was here for me. I wasn't cold, in fact, it was hot under these blankets, but I was afraid. "It's dark!" I cried. I was sobbing, and had been for hours. It was hard to fall asleep after they turned off the lights. I was afraid of the dark. The vents groaned, air whispering, but it all sounded like monsters hiding in the shadows._

 _I wrapped myself tightly in the blanket, trying not to be afraid, but tears streamed down my face. "Please turn on the lights," I called out to the darkness. Nopony was gonna help me. I was alone. I didn't have friends, and the mares didn't care about me. "It's scary," my small voice was the only thing keeping back the boogey-stallion. That and my blanky. My bed had a blanket on it with cute little bunnies on it. I loved this blanket._

 _I was too young to understand why I had to be so alone, why it had to be so dark, why stallions had to live in cells. I plopped down, burying my face in the pillows and trying to stifle my tears. I was the only one there for myself, so I had to try something. I was still frightened, but at least I couldn't see my room anymore._

* * *

Thinking back on my foalhood, I realized that the wasteland was nowhere near as bad as life under the Overmare. Out here, at least I had freedom. I admit, I was a hopeful. I was probably a bit more optimistic about what I would find out here than might be appropriate. Especially given what I'd already run into: hostile raiders who shot you on sight, volatile lone wanderers who may or may not shoot you because you were in the wrong place. But I focused more on the good things I found. The ham radio that had broadcast my first taste of light in so long. DJ Pon3 was a guiding force out there, and I wouldn't let go of that. I counted the Hippocamp Energy warehouse I'd just discovered. Hopefully somepony else finds what I left. Faust only knows they deserve it as much as the next pony.

These thoughts made me smile. Turning on my radio as I left the station and headed into the night, I was laughing. I wouldn't let a few triggerhappy ponies and an unsettled stallion get in the way of my optimism. Maybe I'd hit a few bumps in the road, but my happiness was my safety blanket.

* * *

 _ **(Chapter 3 set for 3/6/17 3:30pm CT**_

 _Lol, I'll just attempt to finish these chapters alongside Shades and Tails and post them together XD. Okay, what did you think of that? Orange is getting a small taste of reality, but he's still too naive to lose his faith. He's going to be a very childlike, optimistic character throughout the story. I think it's so cute and I'm enjoying writing this! Also, I've drawn a picture of Orange Juice, and I'll be setting it as the cover for this story. Hope you like! Love ya!)_

 _(3/3/17 Update: Yolo sent me a message with some Fallout Equestria (FoE) lore I hadn't known about. The sky has a veil over it in FoE that I didn't include in this chapter. I had mention of the day switching to night. I have an idea of how I'll fix that, but it'll come later in the story. Okay, see ya! XD )_

 **Brohoof! /)**


	4. Chapter 3 Breaking Ground

**Chapter 3** Breaking Ground

" _Heeellllooooo wasteland, it's your boy, DJ Pon3 here, with your latest. Guess what I just heard word of? You know that stable that's been sealed down in Bittsberg? Yep, that's the one. I heard it's opened not once, but_ twice _in the past few weeks. Routine maintenance? I don't think so. You see, a pony just came outta there. A young stallion. Now I know we've all been wondering what that stable's been concealin', but that boy looked a bit too frightened for the imagination. Now he's been out here a day, you know what happens? Raiders! Just shootin at the boy! How's that for wasteland hospitality? I gotta be honest with ya, it sickens me. Just sick right down to my stomach. Now listen to this: I picked up a little recording, from a hoofbot just floatin around town. Let's see what we got."_

A recording came on over the radio, I recognized my voice, and remembered the event from my first day out here. I don't think I really wanted to remember. It only reminded me of my weaknesses. I had a lot of those.

Pon3 came back on, " _What did I tell you? Now see what happened? A couple ponies dead, all kuz they wouldn't help the poor fella. Well hey kid, wherever you are, you got ponies rootin for ya! That's the good fight. Now, why don't we play a few hits? Some throwbacks to better times, I mean, that's all I got. Good times, coming your way, from a singer named Smiley Cypress."_

I had to smile to myself. The fact that DJ Pon3 cared so much made me immensely glad. I hoped one day I'd get to meet him in pony. This past week, Pon3 had been the driving force that kept me going. I had met a couple other groups of raiders, but no other normal ponies, and so far, I was still alone. I kept moving through Bittsberg at my own pace though.

Today I had found an abandoned office building that I'd decided to sniff out. Every once in awhile you found useful things in deteriorating buildings like this. So far no luck, but that was no reason to give up. Some places had things like first aid kits full of useful medicinals in the bathrooms. Those were always the first places I looked. However, one bathroom was completely caved in and inaccessible, the other did not have a kit.

I found the stairwell. It was mostly clear of debris. I nervously tested the first step. It could support my weight, but some of the steps made loud groaning sounds. Plus, with no sunlight from outside getting into the stairwell, it was dark. All of it made me feel very anxious.

I was on the first landing, stepping onto the second set of stairs, when suddenly the floor began to make a cracking sound. I stopped in my tracks to look over my shoulder. The landing was splitting apart! I jumped forward with a shout, falling flat to the jagged steps, and behind me, the landing crumbled to nothing.

 _I could've been hurt!_ I thought to myself. My heart was racing. That had been close. But now… _How am I gonna get down from here?_ I took deep, shaky breaths in an attempt to calm down. I was shocked, that's all. I peered down into the dark hole that had been created. Yeah, just shocked. Heh heh. I turned and began slowly climbing up. I needed to be careful. It was a mistake to come up here! What was I thinking? The building probably wasn't safe, but even so, it was too late to turn back now.

Papers that littered the floor was the first thing I noticed when I opened the second floor door. They were everywhere. Official looking documents that I bet even if I could read I wouldn't be able to understand. It was sad how the world had broken so much. I wanted to know why the Great War had happened, and all I could do was sit here and daydream up stories to fill the void in my knowledge.

* * *

 _A mare was reading a book in the corner, disassociating herself with the rest of the party. She had her long brown mane pushed back behind her ear, and wore big rectangular glasses. She was immersed in whatever she was reading. It made me wish I could read, that I was allowed to have books. I could settle for leaving my group of stallions to talk to her, but I was too shy. We weren't supposed to just go talk to them whenever we wanted._

 _"Hey, buddy, go see what's up. Stop sitting on your ass." one of the stallions nudged me with a hoof under the table._

 _I blushed hard, "Oh, I uh…see what's up with who?" I knew who he was talking about. The mare who was alone with her book._

 _"Bookworm over there." he nodded in her direction, making my heart beat faster and my face flush brighter._

 _"B-but, we aren't supposed to." I shuffled nervously, looking down at myself. The mare that had invited me along to the party tonight had given me a suit to wear as it was a formal celebration for sompony's achievement or something. I noticed my bow-tie was crooked. Cute. I groaned._

 _"Hey, leave the colt alone, he's obviously nervous." the other stallion at the table chided the first._

 _"I won't. He ain't ever gonna learn a thing if he doesn't get up to learn it." the pony who'd come to my defense rolled his eyes, wrinkled his nose, but kept silent. He only watched stallion one with a look of irritation._

 _"Well? You gonna get up? Bookworm's looking at ya."_

 _My eyes widened, "S-she is!?" I jerked and fell backward out of my chair. I landed painfully on my rump with a cry._

 _"No, she wasn't, but you might as well walk over now that_ everypony _is looking at you." he was smirking._

 _My lip shook, but I got up, brushed myself off, then glanced over in Bookworm's direction. She flipped another page in her book. I sucked in a breath, puffing up my chest in a stupid cliche way, walking over to her. "H-hi," I mumbled._

 _Glancing at me over the top of her book, she lifted a brow in annoyance. "May I help you?"_

 _I cleared my throat, "I-I was c-curious what you were reading…" I gulped, and began twiddling with my bow-tie._

 _"Oh, uh, *ahem*." the mare looked anxiously down at her book, then back up at me with fearful eyes. The expression quickly reverted back to irritation, "Why are you even talking to me? You aren't supposed to."_

 _"O-Okay, s-sorry ma'am." I hung my head, dejected, moving away from her._

 _"W-wait!" she called. I looked at her again over my shoulder. "It's a history book." she looked away from me, like she was shy, or talking to herself._

 _Did I dare go back to her? I was shy myself. I stared at the floor and said, "I've never read a history book. I've actually never read anything."_

 _"It's quite interesting." she responded, still talking to herself._

 _"I've only daydreamed what life was before stables."_

 _"That's cute—*cough!*—interesting I mean. What do you imagine?"_

 _"The war. I've always thought the war had to be a misunderstanding between the sisters right?" I said to the floor._

 _I told Bookworm about the fantasy I'd had once where Luna was angry because she felt like a spare. She didn't feel recognized by anypony and so turned against her sister. A lunar eclipse._

 _"That…actually happened," Bookworm said to me, incredulous. We were finally facing each other and I had met her eyes at some point during my story. "But if you don't read, and nopony has ever told you, how did you know that?"_

 _"I don't know. I thought I made it up."_

 _"Well I mean, I guess it's not the craziest of stories, anypony could've thought up a story of betrayal and regret." Bookworm was wonderfilled. "Hey, did you also know that for awhile, Celestia had imprisoned her own sister in the moon?"_

 _"What? N-no, I didn't know that was possible."_

 _"Yeah! They were alicorns, anything was possible for them."_

 _"Oh…what's an alicorn?"_

 _Bookworm frowned. After a moment she asked me, "Here, do you want my book?" she held it out to me, insistence in her brown eyes._

 _My own eyes widened, but not knowing what to say or do, I took the book. Staring down at it in wonder, I opened my mouth to say, "I-I can't read though." but when I looked up, Bookworm was gone._

* * *

That book probably still sat in the vent above my bed in my cell, where I kept all the things I wasn't technically supposed to have. I wondered what would happen to it, hoping that one day I would be able to read it. And that I'd get to thank the pony who'd given it to me.

Bookworm was the one who had fueled my imagination. I remember always pretending to know what the words meant. I would sit up at night with my Pip-Buck light on and stare at the crisp yellowing pages of the history book. Without Bookworm, I'd never have imagined so many incredible stories in my head all those nights.

I picked up one of the documents that littered the floor. Wiggling it with a hoof, I said in a really high voice, "Mr. Sunshine, you didn't finish your paperwork. This company can't run itself you know."

I picked up another paper, "But boss, ma'am, I'm so so sorry. I was busy with my other work."

"Gimme that coffee and get back to the work I assigned you."

"I'm sorry ma'am."

I let the papers flutter to the ground, laughing hard. Hard enough to bring tears to my eyes. It was easy to imagine this place with the bustling throng of work ponies typing on those now dead computers. Fax machines printing page after page of incomprehensible reports.

I walked into one of the offices. Ahead of me, the floor to ceiling glass windows, a view of the towers across the street. To the immediate left, a desk with a terminal sitting on it, papers scattered about. There was a pen holder with a quill in it. Interesting. I wondered who had sat behind that desk.

I went to a different room, this one longer lengthwise. There were cubicles about, and entering the aisle, I saw something at the other end that caught my eye. A pod, about the height of a pony, with a sealed glass door. Next to it was a terminal that was jutting out of the wall. The screen was glowing. My curiosity getting the better of me, I went to the terminal. On the way, my hooves kicked a little rectangular object. I picked it up and my Pip-Buck labeled it as an employee ID.

I went to the terminal, trying to figure out what it said. There were a few different options available. I decided to press enter on the top one. Hissing, the pod beside me began to open. I jumped backward and stared at it, pulling out my pistol just in case I was in danger. From it emerged a pony. No, it was a robot that looked like a pony. It was made of gray metal, and had a screen in place of its eyes. The screen went through a sequence, then activated, showing two digital green eyes. They looked back and forth across the room, then landed on me.

"Employee ID detected," it said in a computerized voice. "Searching for hostiles." I put my gun away as the robot moved on. Its hooves clanged against the floor heavily as it walked down the aisle of cubicles.

I shrugged, thinking if there was anything dangerous here that the robot labeled as hostile, then it could keep me safe. I noticed on the pod the word "cutietron", or at least, I thought that's what it said. I left the room after that, nothing else interesting there. I saw the sun setting out the window, and decided I'd look for somewhere to lie down. I yawned and blinked a few times.

* * *

It was a little while later, after the sun had already gone down and I was settling onto an old couch to fall asleep, when I began hearing noises. It sounded like it was on the next floor up, something walking around. Heavy stomping footsteps could be heard above me. I stared up at the ceiling tiles, scared. What was up there? Was it dangerous?

I got up to creep into the main room. I moved around the cubicles. I heard the mechanical sounds of the cutietron's parts moving. I had to be safe here, right? It would protect me. I went to the stairwell and up to the third floor door. There were no other stairs here, if there was a fourth floor, the stairwell would be somewhere on the third floor. I pressed my ear against the door to listen. I thought I heard gruff voices on the other side. More stomping and grumbling.

I realized I was shivering out of fear. Something was back there and it didn't sound safe. Monsters lurking in the dark. I ran quickly back to the little lounge area at the back of the second floor. I got on the couch, pulling my hooves up as fast as I could.

What was wrong with me? Why couldn't I stop shaking? I had made it so far in the city the past week, making ground. I'd managed to survive being shot at from raiders just about every other day. Now here I was with the prospect that something scarier than raiders were hiding up on the third floor. They couldn't know I was here though. I was quiet as a mouse.

"Searching for hostiles." said the cutietron.

By Faust! That hunk of metal was walking around and talking at random intervals! Those things could probably hear it! I began whimpering involuntarily. I pulled my pistol out in front of me. My hooves shook as I kept my aim trained on the doorway to the outer offices. What was waiting out there in the dark would stay back if I had my say. _I can pretend to be tough._

They could be more raiders, which might not be so bad, but it sounded like there were a lot more than I was used to. Or, what if they were bigger and badder than I was used to. They could be super raiders! No, what if they were one giant mass of a pony, and that pony was waiting for me to make one mistake and go looking in the wrong place. It would kill me, tear me apart and I was to defenseless and weak to do anything about it.

I stared wide eyed at the doorway, my overactive imagination freaking me out. I had to be safe down here. I just had to be. Then I heard something that made my heart stop.

"Hostiles detected. Drop your weapons or you will be put down." the cutietron's computerized voice issuing a command to somepony else.

"I never seen anything like it." said a deep rumbly voice. I gasped, holding my breath. Then I heard the reports of gunfire. One sounded a bit more high pitched, and each time there came red flashes of light. The other shots were normal sounding bullets. Then the gunfire of a semi-automatic weapon joined the fray.

"You pay for that!" an angry gruff voice shouted.

The gunfire stopped and I heard something metallic clang to the floor. The cutietron must've just fallen! Nononono! I got up and walked quietly to the doorway. I peered carefully around the frame. My breath caught in my throat. Three large ponies that looked very similar to each other stood over the body of the now smoking cutietron. The ponies were very big, very muscular, all green and none had manes or tails. There was one with scorch marks that was lying dead on the floor. He must've been put down by the cutietron.

One of the beasts yelled in anger then the three of them began moving through the second floor. One stopped near my hiding spot, and I saw him sniff the air. He actually _sniffed_ the air! What the?

He glanced around angrily, "I know you in here. Come out come out wherever you are."

At the top of my vision, on my EFS, I saw something new appear:

[CAUTION]

 _ **(Chapter 4 set for 3/11/17 12:00pm CT**_

 _I love DJ Pon3! Even though we haven't met him in 'pony' (person), the dialogue is still fun to write. I'm imagining the same voice in my head that he has in the game._

 _Hey, just wanted to point out, Orange has made a reference to three different animals in the same "chain" throughout this story. Dog, cat, mouse. Catch that? Haha XD._ _Kk, love ya and see ya soon!)_

 **Brohoof! /)**


	5. Chapter 4 Puppydog

**Chapter 4** Puppydog

I pressed my back hard against the wall, keeping out of sight of the doorway. I didn't think a pistol would do much damage against these brutes so I pulled out my shotgun. But in all honesty, I didn't think I was well off against them period. I was scared out of my mind. There were three of them, and they were gigantic! What was a pipsqueak like me supposed to do? Hide until they found me and killed me, that was one option.

The only thing I could do was attack. I went into the offices. The big green ponies had disappeared in the maze of cubicles, but I could still hear them stomping around. Some of them were coaxing me, trying to get me to show myself. Well, here I came, but I was gonna come shooting. My EFS still warned me to have caution, but they had no idea where I was. As long as I traveled slowly and quietly, I had the advantage.

I turned another dark corner of the labyrinth, and there one was, his back to me. I activated SATS, aiming for his head. He was labeled as a super pony, the percentage on his head low, but I had to try. As soon as I queued the shot, I realized my mistake. I should've just shot at his torso. But I had missed and all three uglies had been alerted to my position. I gulped and almost peed myself. My back legs trembled and I cowered as they came toward me.

In a shower of glass, another pony came flying through one of the outer windows, sailing through the air and landing directly in front of me. He wore heavy armor, his face covered by a thick helmet. The eyes glowed red.

"Keep down, Puppydog, I'm here to help." came a deep commanding voice through the armor's speakers. He sounded sure of himself at least. I watched him lift a huge gun. Taking aim, he began firing on our approaching enemies. Powerful looking lasers came out at a quick pace.

"Gatling Laser if you were wondering," said my rescuer.

"I-I wasn't w-wondering, but th-thanks," I said in a nervous stutter. The first super pony went down with a yell.

"I'm the Guardian. I've been keeping a close eye on you." He turned to the second pony, pulling out two submachine guns and twirling them in his hooves before aiming and firing. He was mowing down our enemies as easily as swatting flies. I thought I might be sick.

"Y-you have?" I let out a whimper.

"You're resourceful, I'll give you that, and the way you handle situations. Reminds me of myself when I was your age." He wasn't making much sense to me. What in Equestria was he going on about?

Next pony went down via some sort of plasma gun. A very large rifle that he carried in two hooves. "H-how can you carry s-so many weapons?" I asked.

The last super pony was reduced to a puddle of green glowing goo, smoke curling up off it. "That's something you'll find out." the Guardian turned to me. He lifted a hoof, pressed a button on the side of his armor, and the helmet retracted into itself, revealing my savior's face. His coat was a dark blue and his mane was even darker than that, but it was shimmering. His eyes were dark. He didn't have a horn, and unless that armor concealed wings, my guess was he was an earth pony.

He smiled confidently at me, "Something you'll find out, that is, only if you want." He offered a hoof to me.

I stared up at him, shocked and out of breath. So I took his hoof, letting him lift me back to a standing position. After a second, I nodded, "Okay, I'd like that."

"Then stick with me."

"Where are we going?" I perked my ears, lighting up in curiosity.

"First? We have to find a way out of this building." the Guardian began walking toward the stairwell.

"Um, the stairs caved in, we can't go down." I trotted along behind him, stepping around the bodies of the super ponies. Ugh, nasty.

"I know."

"Wait, wha-what?" I stared at him like he was crazy. Maybe he was. It probably wasn't smart to trust somepony I just met. But, I wasn't smart.

"We're going upstairs."

"B-but, won't there be more of those monsters?" My mismatched eyes widened in fright. No way I was following this stallion into a death trap.

"You're cute." the Guardian chuckled and lowered his helmet again. "Your choice. But you have to make it fast. Because I'm leaving." he set off for the stairwell.

I stumbled over my own hooves as I tried to keep up with him. I stopped in my tracks as I noticed the downed cutietron. Poor thing. It was only doing its job. "Coming?" called the Guardian. I swallowed down my nerves, then took a bound over the body of the robot. I followed the stallion up to the third floor.

He spoke without turning to me, throwing me off my game even more than I already was, "I like the way you handle the raiders." he was so smooth about the way he spoke, like he already knew what the reaction would be.

"Y-you do?"

"Of course! Like I said, you're resourceful."

"They're scary," I nodded, "but they're not hard to fight."

"I noticed how you send 'em running," he was enthralled in what he was saying.

"Yeah…" I looked aside.

I nearly bumped into him when he suddenly stopped. He lifted a hoof to the door handle of the third floor. It was locked. "Damn," he muttered. He took out a screwdriver and a bobby pin. Without taking his attention from what he was doing, he spoke around the screwdriver in his mouth as he picked the kick. "Listen, I'm not forcing you to come with me kid. I'm not going to force you to fight. But if you want…" the door clicked and he opened it with a sound of triumph.

"Wouldyoutrainme?" I blurted out in one breath. I stared at the Guardian with wide eyes, shocked at myself and blushing hard.

The Guardian laughed, "That's exactly the question I wanted to hear." he continued through the doorway, and I continued following him, feeling frustrated.

"I-I asked if you would, I never said I wanted to yet."

"Yet is the key word, my boy!" he chuckled.

We came into a hallway, a door directly in front of us, the hall leading rightward. "Careful here Puppydog, they've laid traps. Also, I see a lot of bogeys on my EFS." if that was the case, then his EFS was stronger than mine.

Now I had to watch out for mines and trip wires too, not just those bulky green monsters? Could this get any more terrifying? I only needed to stay behind the Guardian, and it would all be fine. But my biggest question remained unanswered, "If we're going up, how are we going to get out of this building?"

"Simple. There's an elevator only used by execs Pre-War. But now it's our turn."

"Where's the elevator?" I wanted to know how far away it was, how fast we'd get there.

"Stop being so anxious. This wouldn't be a rescue if I was going to fail, now would it?" he was surely. I blew my bangs out of my face, getting annoyed. Of course, they fell right back into place.

"Hey," he slowed his pace to bump me playfully with his hip, "One thing I like most about you is your optimism. So show me your smile." then he was back to leading the way.

I rubbed my flank where he'd bumped me. He was wearing heavy metal armor. It didn't feel nice through my light combat armor. Padding only did so much. I continued at my slow trot, and for a few moments we went in silence. I had time to take in my surroundings.

We were entering what looked like a lounge area. There was a vending machine, a coffee station, a couch and chairs and a coffee table. There was another hallway opposite us, and I could hear more grumbling voices. The Guardian entered nonchalantly, but as soon as his hoof crossed over, there came the powering up of some sort of weapon. "Sugarcubes!" he yelled then dive bombed the sitting area. He flipped the table to use as a barricade while bullets were fired upon him. They soon stopped.

Meanwhile, I had ducked back behind the wall. I called to the Guardian, "What's going on?"

"Automatic turret in the opposite hall. It's too far away for me to hit. See if you can't find its terminal and turn it off."

"B-but, I can't operate a terminal!" I squeaked.

"You'll have to try, I'm in cold water here. I have faith in you, Puppydog."

I looked around. There was another corridor to the right, and I saw open doorways. I also saw some sacks scattered about, sitting in nasty looking liquids. I shuddered and gulped, trying to hold back the vomit that threatened to make its way up my throat.

Those bags had a nasty smell. I had one hoof on my nose as I walked along, but the air was stiff and I was gagging. I didn't want to think about what was in those bags. So I just walked on by, peering into each room as I passed, looking for that terminal. I have to admit, I probably looked pretty funny stumbling around on three legs as I held my nose with the fourth.

All these rooms were individual offices. None looked like they would house a turret's kill switch. But at the end of the hall I came to a locked door. Oh great, what if this was the room? I banged my head against the door in frustration.

But the Guardian was right. I was optimistic. I bet there's a key in one of those offices. This seemed to be where more important ponies had worked, so they had to have access to a random room right? I wasn't off track either. I found a note and a key in a drawer of the desk in the room right next door to the locked room. The note had something to do with thanking somepony for the promotion to head of security and that they'd come pick up the key to the security room later. The handwriting was sloppy though and whatever else the lengthy note said would've been lost on me anyway. Though, on the back I did notice a set of numbers and letters. A password maybe?

I went to the door and unlocked it with my key. Inside I found a small room. The north wall was full of a bunch of monitors, directly to my right the south wall had three filing cabinets pushed against it. There was a countertop beneath the monitors and a rolly chair. On the desktop was a terminal, aglow and asking for a password. I looked at the scribbled code and thought, _doesn't hurt to try._

When it actually worked, I was ecstatic! I pressed enter, hoping it would work. Something happened. I didn't care though because I'd gotten into this room by myself, and worked the terminal without help. I went prancing from the room and literally forgot all about the turret as I bounded into the lounge. I was shouting, "I did it, I did it!" a happy go lucky little kid.

"By Celestia, Puppydog, you should take more caution! You forgot about the turret, didn't you?" the Guardian had his helmet off, and I saw that he was smiling, contradicting his scolding words.

"I did it!" I repeated.

"That you did." he had a proud smile. "Come on, we still have baddies to face and an elevator to find."

Feeling a lot more confident, I kept pace with the Guardian. I held my pistol in my turquoise magic, aiming it straight and true. I didn't feel so lost with someone here to guide me. I smiled at him. He was strong and confident, I wanted to be just like him.

We found the elevator access on the fourth floor. We had to battle a few more mutants—it was mostly the Guardian doing the work though. But after making our way through cautiously, we ended up back on the first floor, coming out in an area tucked away behind the staircase that I never would've noticed before. There was a door leading back to the main reception room, but there was a chain wrapped around it on this side. Even if I had noticed the door, it would've been impossible to open from the other side. But all the Guardian had to do was untangle it and knock it loose.

After all that, my nausea got the better of me. I was unable to hold back the threatening vomit, and after only taking two steps, I started throwing up. I heaved onto the tiles as tears streamed down my face. It had been too much. All I wanted was to get out of here. I needed fresh air.

"Get it out," the Guardian was patting me on the back. I was dry heaving now. I hated throwing up! It was like I couldn't breath, yet I was trying to get air out of me. Air and everything else. _Ugh._

I moaned and stared pitifully up at the stallion. He was frowning and waiting patiently. The last time I'd been this sick I think I almost got myself into a lot of trouble. I didn't want to think about it though. I might start dry heaving again.

We went back outside. I saw the sun was rising. My head finally cleared, and no longer feeling sick, I was able to appreciate what I saw.

"Whoa," my eyes gleamed at the marvel. It cast its orange, red and yellow rays all across the sky in a powerful dawn. It was magnificent.

"Careful, you'll burn your eyes." the Guardian clopped a hoof down on my shoulder.

"It's so beautiful," I stared at the yellowish sky. "I've never seen anything like it." I breathed, deep in awe.

"I bet, especially coming out of that stable." The Guardian sighed, dropping his hoof. "Too bad it's not real."

I looked at him, surprised, "What?"

"It's not real. Everything about the sky you see here in Bittsberg, it's all artificially generated." the Guardian suddenly seemed down about something.

"How?" I asked.

"That's a story for another time."

"O-okay." I got up as he did, looking at the sky one last time. Even if it wasn't real, even if something about it saddened the Guardian, it still made me happy. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined the sun cast such powerful rays, or that it created so many beautiful colors.

If I wasn't scared sitting here too long would cause trouble, I would stay to watch the entire sunrise. Unfortunately, raiders or super ponies could show up at any minute. So I got up to follow my rescuer to wherever it was he planned to go.

 _ **(Chapter 5 set 3**_ _ **/19/17 11:00pm CT**_

 _Hello! Some exciting new action for ya in this chapter! The Guardian is awesome. I've been looking forward to introducing him. Hope you like him._

 _Lol, "Sugarcube!" Vapor Trail shouts that in place of the word "sh*t" in MLP:FIM S6 E25. XD_

 _Sidenote: I'm on spring break next week, but I do have plans. Me and the family are going to Fun City so I'm not actually sure how soon I can actually post the next chapter. I'll try tho._

 _Kk, love ya!)_

 **Brohoof! /)**


	6. Chapter 5 Training Wheels

**Chapter 5** Training Wheels

 _It was early in the morning when they woke me up. I was too tired to even bother rolling over. But they shook me until I groaned and blinked groggily up at them. Two mares, one wearing a security uniform and the other wearing a doctor's coat. My eyes widened and I snapped to my senses. Oh no, what was going on?_

 _"UP-25, up and at 'em. You've been queued."_

 _"Huh?" I squeaked. They'd given me quite the fright. Usually when you saw security and doctors in the same place, it meant decommission._

 _They began to lead me from the cell. The metal floor made a more resonating clang than I was used to, but it had to just be nerves. I saw another stallion being led by a mare. He glanced at me and asked, "Who queued you, eh?"_

 _"I dunno," I shrugged. It really wasn't a big deal._

 _"You've been queued by the Overmare, big boy," snorted my security escort._

 _I turned to the other stallion, "The Over—" I stopped speaking when I saw his horrified expression. "What? What's wrong?" Was there something I didn't know? Why was he giving me that look?_

 _"You haven't ever been queued by her, have you?" His breath was shaky and he eyed the mares leading me._

 _"No, what's the big deal?" now I felt concerned._

 _"Come on, no more chit chat. It's not smart to keep the Overmare waiting." said the security mare. I followed after her with a last worried glance in the other stallion's direction. He gave me a dark look…_

* * *

My thoughts were interrupted by a prodding from behind. The Guardian seemed impatient. "Come on, little Puppydog, it won't do to move so slow."

We were on a dust filled street. There was rubble piled up in a lot of places, blocking the way to quite a few buildings, or other streets. There were cars parked everywhere too, but they were all broken down and deteriorating. They probably wouldn't be able to run anyway, due to radiation from the Great War.

We headed straight down the road, and from what I could tell by how wide it was, this must've been a main road. I kept myself at a trot to keep pace with the Guardian's long strides. He seemed to walk with a strong sense of confidence and determination. He kept careful watch on our surroundings, looking for any dangers that we may come across.

I was smiling up at him as he led me. He gave me a sidelong glance. His eyebrow rose, "Why are you staring at me like that, colt?"

My eyes shot around, looking for something to stare at other than him. "Oh, um, I'm what? No!" the Guardian looked very skeptical. My heartbeat picked up because I was nervous, I looked at him again. Out of breath, I said, "I was just…wondering what your name was." I was breathing hard trying to keep pace with him.

He suddenly slowed down, and I slammed into him. Sitting on my flank, I rubbed my reddened nose. _Hard armor!_ He stared down at me in silence. "You know…I don't think I ever asked my Guardian that…"

"Your Guardian…?" his face was haloed by the sun.

He shook himself. "Why does it matter? Up, Puppydog! We're almost to the highway."

We walked onto an entrance ramp going up to a raised roadway. I ran straight to the cement barricade on the side of the highway, putting my front hooves on it and peering over the edge. It's not like I could see the whole city like in the office, but I could see this section of it, and besides, now I was outside instead of behind a glass wall.

"Whoa!" I marveled. My eyes glittered with excitement.

"Don't get used to it kid." the Guardian was behind me.

"Why not?" I looked at him. He was stern.

"The wasteland is a tough cookie to crack. And you're the gooey center that everypony wants and will take a bite of. You need to be more careful." the Guardian clapped me on the back, "Look, you almost triggered a mine."

I backed off the rail, placing all four hooves on the cracked up ground again. The mine gave me a fright. Had I really almost triggered that and died? It gave me shivers to think about. I eyed it warily as the Guardian approached and disarmed it quickly as it began beeping violently. It was silent almost immediately. "Too bad you don't shut up this fast," he chuckled to himself.

"Whoa, cool, can you teach me how to do that?" I skipped over to him with a grin from ear to ear.

"I'll be teaching you a lot of things, but we won't be taking the training wheels off just yet." I scrunched up my face in confusion. "We'll start with the small stuff."

"O-okay!" I nodded vigorously. He began to move off again, so I followed along behind.

We came to plenty more mines, but soon, as the sun was setting, we came to an exit ramp. We'd traveled very far, almost out of the city. The place we were heading towards was a little set aside and isolated from the city, but it was close enough that I could still tell it was part of Bittsberg. It was heavily fortified, and there were tall cement walls surrounding it, barbed wire at the top. I could also see guard towers.

The Guardian held a hoof out to stop me. He scanned the area before turning and saying to me, "We can't go directly in the front. There are raider camps everywhere."

"Oh!" I nodded like I knew exactly what he was talking about. I didn't.

"We have a side tunnel, it's hidden under the highway." he pointed to where the highway turned leftward and dipped down.

"Okay," I shot forward, but he grabbed my tail with his teeth. "Ow!" I yelped.

"Wait. Raiders er efferyvhere. We can't take dis lightly." He spat out my tail, licking his lips.

"Alright." I equipped my combat shotgun. "I'll just follow you then."

We headed toward the shadows coiled beneath the highway. We walked through dead grass and wilting weeds. Then I heard it, the ping ping of light weapons fire. I knew it meant we were being fired at, but I couldn't see from where. I tried activating SATS, but the only target in sight was the Guardian.

"We need to keep moving. We can't fight what we can't see."

We started for our destination, straight around some pillars, and I thought I saw a glowing light coming from behind some of them. A fire? "Um, Guardian," my voice shook. I rose my gun in my glowing grasp as he took heed of our enemy's position. We snook up together around the pillar, but there was nopony here.

"What the hay?" the Guardian was uncertain.

"Hey, look who it is, potshot filly!" a voice laughed. An energy weapon powered up.

"You mean that orange unicorn?" sompony else responded.

"Yup, that's the one."

"Wasn't that a colt?"

Three raiders came out of the darkness carrying heavy looking weapons. By now the Guardian had shoved me behind him and lowered his helmet. "Keep low kid, things might get messy." he told me.

"Hey!" I protested.

The mare in the group of raiders laughed, "Lookie here, colt has a daddy."

The Guardian spoke over his shoulder, "I'll handle this, you head to the access tunnel." he pointed to a convoy of military vehicles all parked together at a spot down the hill tucked under the overpass. It met the wall of the compound.

I turned to run, this time not because I was scared, but because I had been told to. I'd be scared if I thought the Guardian wasn't able to handle this. So I went, not seeing the other raiders lurking in the dark coming after me. Almost to safety, no big deal.

I made it to the trucks. They were parked in a sort of circle, forming a barricade around the access tunnel. I could see the heavy reinforced door, a keypad next to it and an intercom. I had made it. I didn't know if I was supposed to wait for the Guardian or not though. I set my shotgun down, heading to the door. It wasn't my smartest move. Just as I was lifting a hoof to press the intercom button, I heard chuckles behind me.

"Hey, fresh fish guys," a stallion wearing scrapped armor came into sight between the two trucks I'd come through. The way the trucks were parked, it was the only way through. I was stuck.

* * *

 _The Overmare's chambers were extensive. It was basically a small house inside an underground bunker. I was brought into a main area, where I was shown chairs and told to wait. Now I was alone, but there was no way out, the door was locked._

 _This room wasn't so bad I guess. I saw pictures hanging up, depicting previous Overmares. They all had a smile, but I noticed each new Overmare's smile got progressively less real and more plastic. The most recent, our current leader, her smile just looked plain evil. I take back my earlier sentiment. All these mares staring down at me with that same judgmental look, I couldn't handle it. What was in store for me?_

 _A door to inner chambers opened, and the Overmare stood on the threshold. "My, look at you." she took me in, eyes rolling over me eagerly. I felt like I'd just been coated in slime._

 _"Good morning, ma'am." I said like a good little trained puppydog._

 _She frowned, which confused me. "Before you service me, little one, I have a few questions. Might you step into my office?" she turned, flicking her perfect tail at me. Did she get it groomed everyday or something?_

 _I went with her, and the hatch shut behind me with a sharp reverberation. I jumped, startled at the sinister sound. The Overmare was sitting at her desk, hooves together. After staring me with hard eyes for a few more seconds and making me uncomfortable in my own skin, she finally said, "Do you know what happened to the unicorn stallion that was one designation above yours?" she eyed my flank, where my number was depicted. UP-25._

 _I gulped, and I felt sweat break out on my forehead. "He was decommissioned?" that's what I actually thought had happened, but now I was just unsure._

 _"Good," the Overmare smiled at me, pleased. "That's what you're supposed to think. Sadly, you probably don't even know what that word means."_

 _"Decommission? I know what it means! It's, it uh, it means—" I was trying to form a definition in my head, but no words came. On this subject, I drew a blank. I shifted in my seat._

 _The Overmare rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Stop trying. It doesn't matter anyway, because your brother wasn't decommissioned."_

 _"Brother?" I sat up, letting my ears perk up. What had she said?_

 _Ignoring me, she continued, "He escaped the Stable. Did you know that?"_

 _"It's possible to escape the Stable?" why was she telling me all this?_

 _She started laughing and didn't stop. It took a moment before she was able to calm herself. "Ha! Dear me, is it actually possible to escape the Stable?" suddenly, her whole mood shifted. She slammed a hoof down on her desk, making me jump and fall backward out of my chair._

 _"Don't you dare be getting any ideas now." she came around her desk, looming over me, "I want to tell you something, little stallion. Nopony escapes the Stable alive, and I want everypony to know that. He died the instant he set hoof outside. The radiation killed him like this," she stomped her hoof on the ground, nearly clipping me. I jerked again, tears forming in my eyes. She scared me. I was frozen in place, pinned like a mouse to a glue trap._

 _"Get up, now I'm all tense. It's time to service your master so she can relieve some stress." she picked me up with her own hooves. She was strong, and I nearly choked. She smiled seductively at that, the sound I made in my throat trying to draw air. Was this turning her on?_

 _I shuddered, a trembling mess as the Overmare disappeared into another room. She came back with pleather bindings, including a bridle with a metal bit attached. My eyes widened. Was she going to use that on me? The answer was yes. She had me stand still, head bowed in submission as she slipped the bridle on me and the bit went into my mouth. I felt violated, but I was a cornered servant, submitted to my master's will. There wasn't a thing I could do as she dragged me into her bedroom and pushed me to the bed. There were even more bindings here…_

* * *

I hated being cornered. I was suddenly very scared, and my hind legs were trembling. I eyed my shotgun, which was on the ground next to the leader of the trio of raiders that had trapped me. They were all stallions. The raider saw what I was looking at, and began to laugh hysterically, "Hey boys! Look at the toy the foal left for us to play with." he kicked it up to himself, catching it from the air.

"That's mine!" I gasped.

I was ignored. "Honestly, I can't tell if you're a boy or a girl." he was stroking his chin, _with the barrel of the shotgun._

"He does have rather long hair." the second raider said.

"Ooh, maybe we can string him up, take off that armor and find out!" the third said maniacally.

My eyes were darting about, trying to find someway to get out of this mess. The raiders came closer. I noticed the gas chamber door on the side of one of the trucks. This was a stupid idea, and probably really risky, but I knew what I had to at least try. I drew my pistol.

"Ooh!" said the first raider, "I love it when they fight back!"

I activated SATS, targeting the gas chamber. 58%. It didn't seem like a bad chance, so I took it. The bullet sailed through the air, giving a gentle ping as it hit the small circle on the side of the truck. Almost too gentle for the explosion I was expecting.

I wasn't disappointed. The truck exploded into a ball of angry fire. The raiders were toast, instantly obliterated. My combat shotgun came sailing my way, intact, and I caught it in my magical aura. I remember hesitating and acting unsure when UP-26 had asked me about levitation, but I had been under a lot of pressure as he led me to the stable door.

I knew my plan had meant risks, but as I put my shotgun back onto my back, I realized just what those risks were. The first explosion set off a chain reaction. The next trucks in the line taking fire and exploding too. I had two trucks left before I became a marshmallow just like the raiders before me.

"Oh no," I scrambled back, turning to the door. Pressing the intercom button a bunch of times in a panic, I squealed, " _Help!_ "

"Hey kid, what the buck?" came the response. Another truck exploded.

"Please!" I gasped as my imminent doom pended.

"Faust!" came an exclamation, then a string of curses before the door finally clicked open. I ducked inside, just missing the fiery inferno meant for me. On my EFS a message popped up in the upper left corner and I knew I was safe:

You have discovered

THE FORT

Two sets of hooves immediately fell onto my shoulders as I stumbled forward. "Okay, that's far enough! Who the buck are you, and why are you setting off explosions on our doorstep?"

I wanted to answer, but my head swam like a fishy and I may or may not have been seeing stars. I looked at both of the ponies' faces that had a hold of me, but I couldn't really make out any features. "You know, I was awake all night?" I giggled. Then black clouds overtook my vision and I was out cold.

* * *

" _UP-26, yep, that's what it says. Either he made his way all the way here by himself, or the Guardian finally found his Puppydog."_

" _He'd have a Puppydog either way, dipwad!"_

" _UP-26 is a tough cracker, we can give him that. I wonder if he'll want a manecut?"_

I woke up to hear three different voices talking. One had a bit of a country accent, another was rough, and the third was high pitched and cheery. The first and last two voices were mares' voices. I slowly opened my eyes to see a series of circular lights suspended above me.

"That's not my name," I whispered to them, hearing that they'd called me by the designation on my flank and trying to get their attention.

"Hush, both of you, I think he's waking up!"

"It's not my name," I repeated, groaning.

"What's not your name, sugarcube?" a mare dressed like a doctor stood next to me. She was white with a light red mane done up in a ponytail and her bangs were straight and flat. She had glittery pink eyes that said she cared. It was she that had the country accent.

"UP-26," I told her. I commenced to draw the covers up to my chin, afraid of her and the other two ponies in the room.

The second mare's coat was a chocolate brown and her mane was an autumny orange. Her eyes matched her mane. She wore a brown plaid scarf and pilot goggles pushed up on her head. The stallion was a more earthy brown and his mane was maroon, cut into a very short buzz cut. He had dog tags around his throat but otherwise wore nothing.

"Do you have a name?" asked the doctor. I forced myself to look her in the eye.

"My name is Orange Juice." saying it made me immensely happy. Suddenly, I was grinning like a fool at her, unable to contain my glee.

The doctor smiled happily at me. "My name is Lily Bloom. Nice ta meetcha."

"Ooh, ooh, ooh!" the autumn colored mare began bouncing up and down, her short poofy mane bouncing. "Not even old Buck had a name before he made it to the Fort. That's soo adorable!" Her orange eyes sparkled. "I'm Pumpkin Spice by the way! It's super duper nice to meet ya!" I smiled at her. I liked her.

"Okay, calm down Spice." said the stallion.

"What's your name?" I asked him.

He grumbled but answered. "Cherry Blossom," it was almost hard to understand him.

"Oh come on big bro," said Lily, "Give the young stallion the welcome he deserves." she turned to me with her kind eyes, "Don't mind my brother. He just hates the name our folks gave 'im."

"Yeah, kuz it's a mare's name!" he said gruffly. "Now if we're really giving warm welcomes, why don't we start by getting rid of that placeholder on his flank. Nopony deserves that."

"Oh, but I don't wanna scare 'im!"

"Yeah!" Pumpkin Spice agreed.

"Hey, I'm right here. What are you talking about?" I was starting to be pretty annoyed by all the bantering in the room.

Everypony turned their attention to me. "Uh oh," said Pumpkin Spice. She averted her gaze. Lily opened her mouth but couldn't find words. Finally, it was Cherry that spoke, "They're talking about their Nightkiss like machine that can remove that stupid number off your ass."

"Yeah!" Pumpkin began nodding her head really fast, "And then you can get a _cutie_ mark." She sounded excited about that, but first,

"What's a cutie mark?" Everypony froze, even Pumpkin who was mid-bounce, hooves not even touching the floor for a second. I was kinda confused.

* * *

 _After the affair was over, I was brought back to my cell. I was left a wreck though. I could still taste that metallic taste of the bit in my mouth. I was traumatized after what the Overmare had done to me. I felt disgusted with myself after being violated in such a way. I never wanted to feel like that again. So small, and so helpless. She'd told me if everything blew over fine, she'd see me one last time before decommission. That sentiment would haunt my dreams forever._

 _I sat on the cold metal floor, shaking uncontrollably and crying. Tears streamed down my cheeks and along my muzzle and I was racked with sobs. I couldn't keep them held in, and I moaned. I kept seeing her face as she made moves on me that no other mare would've dared. I think they all knew I was fragile at best. I was a foal at heart and always would be._

 _I heard a sound, a strange sound that wasn't natural. I looked up, sniffling. The noise was in my head. "Hello?!" I called out. The sound faded, then came back in. I felt a sensation, a pleasant tickling on my horn. I tried to find it, to hold onto it. I had to use magic, but I didn't really know what I was doing._

 _"Why are you sad?" said a voice, loud and clear in my mind._

 _"Wha-what?" I sniffed and wiped pathetically at my tears._

 _"You can hear me?"_

 _"Y-yeah," I spoke to the other stallion in my mind._

 _"Oh, okay! Good, I've been trying to perfect this spell for awhile! I gave up though. But you, you were sad, and I could hear you. I had to try again. I guess you could say I was able to do it because of you!"_

 _"Oh…" my lips started lifting into a smile, but I was still upset._

 _"So, why are you sad?" came the question again._

 _"The O-overmare. S-she hurt me."_

 _There came what could only be described as a gasp, "What? What did she do?"_

 _"I-I don't wanna talk about it."_

 _"Oh, okay. I'll be here for you if you ever do wanna talk." I felt the magic beginning to fade._

 _"W-wait!" I shouted._

 _"Yeah, wha? Sorry!"_

 _"Don't go. Can you keep me company?"_

 _"Sure thing," he laughed._

 _That day, he helped dry my tears, even though he was just a voice in my head. But it was more than that. He was my friend. He created the communication spell just for me, because he heard me crying and wanted to cheer me up. Thank you. I hope I get to know your name one day._

 ** _(Chapter 6 set for 3/23/17 10:00am CT_**

 _Hello everypony! Sorry it took so long to update this time around. I was on spring break and kinda wanted a little break XD but I'm back, and with a nice long chapter for ya. It's a juicy one. Especially the flashbacks. But Orange finally made it to the Fort! Tell me what you think everyone! :3 Love ya!)_

 **Brohoof! /)**


	7. Chapter 6 Wet Towel

**Chapter 6** Wet Towel

"Sweet pumpkin pie muffin! You don't know what a cutie mark is?" Pumpkin's eyes widened like an owl's. She finally "unfroze", her hooves landing on the tiled floor again.

"N-no," I stuttered nervously.

"That's alright sugarcube, nopony that comes outta that blasted Stable 28 understands the concept of a cutie mark. You ain't alone." at that last sentence, Lily's voice turned angry and she shot a hard glare at Pumpkin Spice. The pony in question shrank back into a shrug and gave the doctor an apologetic smile.

"Besides, he isn't gonna get his cutie mark right away. Unless he already knows his purpose in life." Cherry sent a hard stare my way with his cherry colored eyes and I shook my head furiously until I nearly made myself dizzy.

"Well, whattaya say kid? You ready to finally be free of the Overmare?"

"Sounds like a sugary sweet deal to me!" screamed Pumpkin. Then she was below me, hooves together and eyes pleading, "Please say yes!"

I laughed and she smiled. "Yeah, I do wanna be free."

"Fer cryin out loud! It ain't gonna be that simple." Lily Bloom snapped.

"And why not?" I asked her. I didn't know why she was being such a buzz kill.

"Listen," she ducked her head and sighed, then looked me in the eye. It was a very sincere look. Next to her, Pumpkin looked like she was about to burst. "Do you know what the Nightkiss is?" I gulped, of course I did. Everypony in the cells did. It was a nightmare, something you avoided. I nodded to Lily. "Okay. Well the machine that removes yer designation stamp is based off the same technology as the Nightkiss. You'll have to be injected, but instead of poison it's a serum. Then the Daybrace, our machine, can do its job."

"That sounds….er, _lighter_?" I don't think there was a proper word for it. What she was describing sounded sinister.

"Ooooo, spooky!" Pumpkin was waving her hooves above Lily's head. That lightened the mood, and I giggled at her.

"Okay, are you ready to go?" Lily asked me, trying to give me a reassuring smile. I nodded at her, returning the smile.

As I got up the blankets slipped off me and as the air hit me, I realized I had been stripped of my armor and my weapons. My smile and my heart fell and I looked around, completely taken aback. "Wha-Where is my stuff?" I didn't see my saddle bags anywhere either! "Did you guy's take it?!"

"Kinda had to," Cherry clicked a hoof against the floor. "We couldn't really trust ya."

"But," Lily interjected, "We can now, now that we know where yer from. Take my hoof, I'll bring ya to the Daybrace room and we can get yer things when we're done." I nodded, and followed her from the room.

Pumpkin Spice bounced along behind us. She was silent but watchful. I thought she wanted to say something, her expression made her look about to burst like a balloon.

I noticed the hall smelled of disinfectant, and every so often I saw symbols painted on the big gray bricks. They each had a medical reference, but they were each unique designs. They all also seemed to be painted by a different hoof.

I was so mesmerized that I hadn't realized I'd stopped walking until Lily and Pumpkin turned to me. Lily came back to me, "Ah, I see y'all's noticed them there murals."

I touched a hoof to one, "What are they?"

"Those are cutie marks!" Pumpkin was suddenly right next to me and I jerked. "Sorry," she said.

"I don't understand." I looked between the two mares.

"It's alright sugarcube." Lily told me. "A cutie mark is a visual representation of a pony's unique talent and personality. Everypony is supposed to eventually get one, but in the Stable, it's a right that the Overmare stole." Lily Bloom looked sad.

"Right!" Pumpkin shouted. "We all get em, right here on our bootays!" she pointed to her flank, where I noticed a gathering of candy depicted, two pretzel looking sticks candy coated in chocolate crossing over each other, and touching the bottom part of each were two circular hard candies. I realized the candy looked like a pair of scissors.

"Awwww! Your eyes are so adorable!" Pumpkin said. I was staring open mouthed at the image on her butt. This was so amazing!

"Can I have one?" I breathed.

"One day," Lily said. We all stared at the murals on the wall again. "All these, they were put here by the previous Chiefs of Medicine. Painted by each one themselves."

"They're so amazing!"

"Lily's is here somewhere," Pumpkin smiled brightly. I looked over at Lily's flank. Her cutie mark was a first aid symbol sitting within a blooming red and white lily, two leaves and three pollen spores curling up into it from the bottom left.

"Pretty," I stared.

Lily giggled, "Come on, let's get going."

I stood and stretched my back, flexing in a long arc, butt in the air. Then I trotted after them, getting much more comfortable and content. I flicked my tail back and forth, gleeful.

"And that's how the Great War started!" Pumpkin added randomly.

* * *

 _I had to have been about seven years old that day in the stable nursery. I was sitting on the floor alone drawing with some crayons. A few colors were scattered next to me on the floor, but I was only interested in two of them. I was smiling and humming a familiar ten note tune to myself as I scribbled a big orange ball into the center of the paper. I was filling in the entire circle until all the white was filled in. Next I picked up a green and started scribbling on the top of the orange circle. 'Like a little hat,' I thought pleasantly to myself._

 _I was reaching for the black, thinking of a cute last minute finishing touches, when another colt came up to me and kicked the crayon out of my hoof. A yellow pony with a gray mane that covered one of his eyes. He looked disgusted, but I'm naive, so I smiled up at him thinking he wanted to play. "Hi there!" I giggled._

 _"What in the Stable are you drawing?" he snapped._

 _"It's an orange!" I beamed up at him. I started reaching for the black crayon. "I was gonna draw a smiley on him!"_

 _He kicked my hoof again, "Dummy! Oranges don't smile, and it can't be a boy."_

 _"Ow!" I cried, drawing my hoof up and sucking on the boo boo. Tears were beginning to form in my eyes._

 _I'd always kinda been an outcast with the other colts. Most of my ideas didn't fit in with theirs and when they were playing a game, nopony wanted me on their team. So most of the time I was left to play on my own. That meant doing things most of the other colts didn't do because they were solo activities. Including my drawings. The walls of the schoolroom had more of my art hung up than anypony else's. But even though I was glad it was up there, I was sad that nopony wanted to draw with me…_

 _"You're just a dumb colt that doesn't know how to fit in." said the bully. My lip quivered and I whimpered. He picked up my drawing. "This isn't even what an orange looks like stupid!" I cried out when he tore my drawing in half._

 _"No f-fair!" Not really knowing what else to say, I began to cry._

 _"Boo-h—" the bully began to mock me, but a larger red hoof was placed forcefully on his shoulder. "H-hey!" he snarled, but when he saw the colt was older than he was, he backed off._

 _"What's going on here?" said the bright red unicorn colt. I recognized him. He was just a year older than me. He looked between the two of us, me sobbing like a baby, and the yellow colt who let my drawing flutter to the grown in its two halves. "Hey, now was that very nice?" said red to the bully._

 _"N-no, I guess not." he looked down at the floor, the drawing at his hooves, ashamed._

 _"Us colts should stick together, you know why?"_

 _"No," spat the bully._

 _"Because, from where we're sitting, it's easy to see the mares are never gonna be there for us the way we can be for each other. That's why. It's wrong if you're just going to be mean to each other."_

 _The bully got up in a huff, "Oh yeah? Well, w-what do you know?" he stormed off._

 _"Are you okay kid?" he put a hoof around me._

 _"No," I sniffed, rubbing my nose._

 _"It'll be okay, I'll be here for you." he smiled down at me, kinda like a big brother… "What were you drawing?"_

 _"It's supposed to be an orange." I rubbed my eyes. Picking up the two pieces, I showed it to the unicorn._

 _"Yeah, I can see it! I can tape it together if you like."_

 _"Yeah!" that idea made me feel better. The red unicorn went to the desk of the supervising mare. He said something to her and she rolled her eyes but slid the tape roll to him._

 _Silently, he came back and patched up my picture. "Yay!" I giggled._

 _He looked lost in thought, "It's kinda like a cutie mark," he whispered._

 _"Huh, what's that silly?" I poked him on the cheek._

 _He looked down at his flank for some reason, then smiled sadly at me, "It's nothing important."_

 _"Oh, okay!" I beamed._

* * *

 ** _(Disclaimer: The Daybrace scene has some angst. If this bothers you, please don't read it. _**_I hope you still can read it though._ ** _)_**

The Daybrace room looked like a dentist's office. A chair, a sort of operatory, and above that, the device used to administer the serum and remove cutie marks. Or did it give ponies their marks? I stared at it in horror, wondering what exactly was going to happen to me.

"Don't worry, dear, yer gonna be fine," Lily Bloom was trying to be reassuring but why did she suddenly sound kinda wicked? "I'll just have ta strap ya into the bed there." When I gave her a wide eyed look she said hurriedly, "It's only a precaution, many stallions from the Stable get a little…let's just say antsy when it comes to the Daybrace." she could say that again.

"I'll be RIGHT here," said Pumpkin Spice, her big smiling face popping up next to me. She helped me get into the bed and Lily began strapping my hooves into restraints. I felt nervous and afraid. "Hey, afterward you can come to my salon maybe, I'll fix your _hair._ " she smiled happily at me. I returned it, but I wasn't quite into the feeling.

I felt like the fraidy cat colt who hid under his blanky when he was afraid of the dark. The weakling that everypony in the nursery wanted nothing to do with. The cry baby after being hurt by a big scary mare. That last thought hit me hard as the restraints were strapped. It was my most recent memory from before escaping. When I was still UP-25. She had tied me up much the same way.

The machine began to whir and I was instantly triggered by the sound. "No!" I suddenly saw the Overmare's face above me, smiling sadistically. The Daybrace began to lower and I saw the needle tip pop out of the metallic sheath.

" _This'll be fun little colt." she tightened my bindings._

I began to thrash, never wanting to be hurt by her like that ever again. "Please stop!" I began to yell, pulling hard at the velcro straps. They didn't give. When I realized I was trapped, I began to cry, but I didn't stop pulling and struggling. I had to get out! "Nonononono!" I was sobbing. Then the needle pierced my flank. I screamed. Then it was lights out.

* * *

" _Not even old Buck freaked out this much."_ Pumpkin's voice said.

" _Yeah. I know they have panic attacks because of their fear of the Nightkiss, but he seemed messed up."_ It was Cherry Blossom.

" _I didn't realize it would affect 'im that much!"_ Lily Bloom sounded upset.

I began to open my eyes. "It's not your fault Lily," Pumpkin had a hoof on her friend's shoulder, lending her comfort. I groaned, staring at the three ponies who sat in my hospital room.

"Heeey," I felt stiff and sore, and my voice was scratchy. I coughed and everypony looked at me. Cherry looked annoyed.

"Hey dumplin, glad you're awake." said Lily. She tried smiling, but couldn't. "Do ya wanna talk about what happened? We'll be here for you if ya do."

"You mean you do, I'm kinda pissed you're so upset over this." Cherry whispered harshly close to his sister's face, then he stomped out of the room.

"I don't r-really wanna." I sniffled. My throat hurt.

"Oh honey, yer voice!" Lily's eyes widened. She jumped up and raced over to one of the drawers on the other side of the room. She removed a wood popsicle stick. "Here, open wide." I did so, sticking my tongue out. "Say ah." I followed her instruction as she placed the stick on my tongue then shined a light down my throat. It hurt to hold the sound and with the stick in my mouth, my gag reflex was triggered and I began to cough. Lily shook her head. "Nothing outta the ordinary. I think it was all that screamin. Are you sure you don't wanna tell me?"

"Mm-mm," I shook my head. Then I saw Pumpkin's curious gaze. "Hey," I croaked and smiled, "You wanna cut my mane?" Her eyes lit up.

"YesyesyesyesYES!" she shouted, zipping up into the air. She dropped back down like a leaf. Now I knew why she had pilot's goggles. She might as well be a pegasus. I giggled. She took my hoof and dragged me out of the bed. "Oh em _ef!_ I have so many styles you could try! Augh!" she was over hyped for this as she pulled me out into the hallway.

"Pumpkin!" Lily called after us in protest, but she shook her head and smiled to herself.

 _ **(Chapter 7 set for 3/27/17 9:00pm CT**_

 _Aww, I seriously enjoy the flashback scenes. Did anypony recognize the red unicorn that stood up for Orange? If you've read at least through Chapter 2 in Stable 28, Syringe describes the main character to Rose as a "bright red unicorn buck". Aw yea, it was 26! XD. Lily's doctor instincts just kicked in there in that last scene, lol!_

 _Anyway, love ya guys, thanks for continuing to read. If you want, leave a comment, thanks!)_

 **Brohoof! /)**


	8. Chapter 7 Pocky Game

**Chapter 7** Pocky Game

"Okie-dokie artichokie, I have a _big_ magazine full of manestyles you can look at!" Pumpkin shouted in glee. She handed me the book full of pictures of different ponies with different manes. "The best will probably be toward the back though, with the longer manes."

"Got it," I nodded and began flipping through the magazine. I was sitting in a barber's chair, a mirror in front of me, a small counter with barber's supplies. There were scissors in holders, combs in jars full of something that started with a B but I couldn't read the long word. Some electric razors and other things.

The magazine really caught my attention. Because there were so few words it was just right for me. I loved all the pictures. Everypony was just so happy. It made me feel good inside to see all of them. I saw another one of those stamps of approval like what I'd seen on the Dandy Colt Apples. But this one was of a white unicorn with a luscious curly purple mane. She was soo beautiful!

Pumpkin Spice was suddenly right next to me, her eyes inches from the page. "Ooh, that's Rarity! The Minister of Image! Ack!" she fell over onto her back and I stared down at her, confused.

"Are you okay Pumpkin?"

She popped up in a blink, like she'd never been down at all. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"What's the Minister of Image?" I asked.

"Rarity is, but you mean what's the _Ministry_ of Image. It's what controlled all the imagery and upkeep of Equestria. It was run by Rarity, and she was perfect for it!" Was Pumpkin fanmaring? Her eyelids were fluttering dreamily as she talked about the white unicorn. I didn't get what was so special about her. " _Any_ way, did you see a manestyle you liked? There's _so_ o many."

"Yeah actually," I beamed and began turning the pages back. I opened up to a picture of one that had really caught my mismatched eyes. The stallion in the picture had big ol' puppydog eyes, and he stared at the camera with a sort of innocence. He looked about the same age as me. His mane was long on one side and short on the other, and a cute little braid pulled the rest to the longer side. On the longer side, the mane curved around his neck to rest on his shoulder.

"Omigosh! He's a CUTIE!" Pumpkin shot into the air, and I could've sworn she left behind a trail of smoke. "That's perfect for you O.J.!" she ripped the magazine from my hoof and threw it over her shoulder. I tried to see where it would land, but she spun me around and my chair was facing the mirror.

Oh. I don't think I ever realized just how long and shaggy my mane had been getting. I could also see why those raiders had called me a filly, even though it hurt my feelings. I looked like a girl with messy hair. I frowned at myself. They'd never have done anything like this for us in the stable and it hurt to realized that a mare out here was so much better than a mare in there. I couldn't dwell on it though because suddenly, a cloth was draped over me, and Pumpkin buttoned the neck so it wouldn't slip off.

"Wha-what's this?" I stammered.

"Oh, just a barber's gown. It'll keep your extra hair off ya! And O M Faust do you have a lot of it." she then proceeded to tie a strip of thin paper around my neck. "This helps too."

She took up the buzzer and began to shave my head. _Buzz buzz._ She was gentle with it. I could tell she'd done this so many times before. It glided over my head smoothly and locks of turquoise mane fell down. Around my left ear, it tickled and I began to giggle. She smiled at me in the mirror, "Lot's of ponies giggle. All you have to do is _smile!_ " she sang the last sentence. She continued with the razor for a little bit, going along the top of my head and along my neck. But soon she traded it for a pair of scissors. "Time for trimming." she had a comb in one hoof and the scissors in the other.

"Do you like music, Orange?" she asked. She had her tongue sticking out in concentration as she went snip snip with the scissors.

"I love music!" I exclaimed.

"Me too! Hey, you ever listen to DJ Pon3?"

I began to nod, but realized she had scissors to my head. "Yes, he's awesome."

"We heard about you when you left the stable. He mentioned you. That's why we sent out the Guardian."

It was like a large ominous bell had tolled somewhere. My eyes widened as Pumpkin continued to snip. I hadn't seen the Guardian since waking up. Last I knew he was fighting raiders. "Where—" I started to say, but Pumpkin suddenly looked up with a huge smile on her face that I didn't even know was possible for a pony. She tossed the scissors into the air and screamed.

"ORANGE JUICE, I JUST HAD THE BEST FREAKING IDEA!"

I laughed, "Okay, calm down Pumpkin Spice." she caught the scissors perfectly as they came back down.

"I. Want. To. DIE." she paused, breathing heavily. The blood drained from my face. "…YOUR HAIR." she finished with an even larger smile. I exhaled in relief. I had no idea where she was going with that.

"Pumpkin, you are so random." I couldn't contain my giggles, and I felt a nice warm tingling in my belly. Butterflies.

"Can I, can I, can I?" she really wanted to.

"What kind of dye?"

"Just highlights, you know, I'll add a couple colors that compliment your natural hair color and it'll bring out the new style so much more perfectly!"

"Okay, do it." the idea intrigued me and I wanted to know what Pumpkin would do. So far my mane was awesome. She hadn't done that braid yet, and the right side was still kinda long, so I don't think she was done, but she was getting there.

She started combing my hair, then she said, "Hmm." I didn't like that sound. In the mirror, I saw her narrow her eyes at my mane. Then she jerked the comb. "Oh um, that's not supposed to happen. Oh oatmeal, I might have to blowtorch your head."

My face dropped, "What?"

"I'm just kidding! The only problem is that the comb is stuck." she reached over my head for a spray bottle and scissors. Then she began working at the knot. I yelped loudly. "Sorry."

"Oww," I rubbed my head.

"I got the comb!" she waved it around.

"Yay."

We continued on like this for at least half an hour, and then she told me to look in the mirror. My mane was cut! And she'd even put in that cute little braid. I blushed at myself. "You still look kinda feminine, but that has nothing to do with your mane. Though it does contribute! It's your body type, your shape that makes you look feminine. Don't worry, nopony here cares!"

"Okay, what next."

"Ima go get the dyes." she skipped off.

I sat forward to stare at myself in the mirror. She really knew what she was doing. I'm so glad she cut my mane. It felt a lot lighter now, a lot easier to handle. It wouldn't get in my face anymore, that's for sure. I loved that it fell over my shoulder. The new style made me so happy and I wanted to get up and skip around. But Pumpkin wasn't done yet. She came back with two different bottles of dye, one green the other a slightly bluer shade than my mane. "Okay, this is gonna be like a donkey on a tricycle."

"What does that even mean?" I asked her, befuddled.

"Oh." she looked at me, "I wasn't talking about you silly!" she picked up one of the bottles and began to shake it. "Okay, lean back mister." I did, and she grabbed some locks of my hair. I stared up at the ceiling as she applied the dyes. She was humming very loudly and scratchily to herself as she worked. I winced and tried to ignore her horrible voice. I began counting dots on the ceiling tiles.

She leaned over the top of me again, reaching for the hair dryer. "Normal dye would take forever to dry! I have this stuff specially made so I can use a hair dryer. Ha! Sometimes, I think I might just be as smart as Rarity." she began laughing really obnoxiously. The sound was contagious, and I had to laugh too as she turned on the dryer and shot my mane with hot air.

"All done! Yay!" she motioned for me to sit up and I stared at the mirror. It was amazing! There were now blue streaks going through my turquoise mane, and green undertones that really added depth.

"This is amazing, how did you do that?" I poked at my mane, wonderfilled. It was like when I'd seen the sunrise for the first time. So awe inspiring. She began to take off the gown, and she ripped away the neck strip too.

"Nothing special. It's like making cupcakes. Which I'm actually not so good at…" she touched a hoof to her chin in contemplation. Then she sprang back to life, "But my great-however-many-greats-grandmare was! And cake, and pie, and donuts, and cookies, and—"

"Okay, I get it!" I chuckled as I followed her to the counter at the front of the room. There was some sort of drawer with buttons atop it. She dinged it, and it popped open. I thought the drawer would shoot out and smash into her, but it didn't.

"Hmm," she looked inside, "Nope, those bits are still useless. But old relics are soo cool!" she tapped a few of the keys on the strange machine. A number appeared on the other side. 0.00. "Dontcha worry, colt. I wouldn't charge ya for your first specialty cut! I'm soo superdee-duper proud of this!" she squealed.

I was on the opposite side of the counter from her, and I touched the box. "Hey, what is this thing?"

"This, that's a cash register, don't you know?" she looked at my blank expression. "Oooooooh, _right_! You _don't_ know! Silly me. It's a machine that holds money, like bits, or nowadays caps. But whatever! HEY." she stared at me with large serious eyes. I felt sudden discomfort. "Every customer gets a piece of candy. Do ya want one? Please say yes!"

"Yes…?" I shrugged.

"YES!" she spun around and went to a cabinet behind her. She opened it and withdrew a bin stock full of candy. But it wasn't any candy I would recognize. I mean, maybe I wouldn't recognize any candy. She saw my expression and said, "What, you thought I was gonna have plain old Horsey's Chocolate? Ppt, no!" she set the bin down. "Go ahead, take your pick. I love to collect candy from Nippony. This one's pocky," she picked up a plastic jar of the same kind of candy sticks depicted on her flank. "Normally it's in a box full of the stuff, but they're really hard to find, so I put them in this jar. You want one?"

"Please say yes?" I rose a brow at her, then smiled shyly.

"Yes," she returned the smile with a big cheery one of her own. She popped the top off the container, pulling out a stick for herself then holding it out to me. I took one, crunching down on the dry, but tasty candied delight.

" _Mmm._ "

* * *

Afterwards, Pumpkin brought me to a room full of lockers. Some of them looked old and busted, but most of the others were still in good enough shape to use. In one of the lockers, my stuff had been neatly arranged. My combat armor hung from the hook, my shotgun leaning safely against the wall and the pistol tucked into the corner of the locker floor. My saddle bag was tucked on the shelf at the top, and everything was still there, though some of the drinks had gone bad. That was disappointing, I wouldn't get to try any orange juice just yet then.

"Ooh, orange juice! I get it! You have orange juice!" Pumpkin said when she saw me bringing the spoiled drinks to a trash can.

"I think it's a little more than that."

"Gumdrops?" Pumpkin sounded confused, but it didn't matter.

I dug around the interior of my pack, looking for my first "relic". Pumpkin liked those sorts of things, right? I took out the ham radio I'd found.

"Why do you have that?" she eyed it with bright eyes, "Your Pip-Buck has a built in radio. Mane, I wish I had a Pip-Buck."

I lifted my leg to look at it. "It's nothing special."

"Hmm, nevermind that. Why don't we listen to little hammy?"

"Yeah!" I shouted in glee. I really hoped we'd get to hear DJ Pon3 again. I didn't mind if he wasn't on though. Just being asked to listen to music with somepony else made my day already.

I turned on the little brown box, and a song filled the air. It was a fast song, and right now it was just the instruments, nopony was singing. Pumpkin began to move, jumping onto one of the benches that lined the room. She began to strut, looking super content. She had no cares in the world. I could relate. That's why I jumped up with her, with no hesitations. Oh my goodness, I was dancing with a mare! I was following her lead, kinda like I'd always done in the stable, but this time was different. This time, I was having fun and the mare didn't care if I made a mistake. I could really just be free couldn't I?

"Come on! I have an awesome idea." she hopped off the bench and bounded into the hall. Taking the radio in my turquoise aura, I ran off after her, giggling like I was ten years younger.

We danced down the hall, passing by doorways, some open, some closed. That didn't last as ponies came out of the rooms to find out what was happening. What joyous music filled the air. Those who are seen dancing are considered insane by those who can't hear the music. So Pumpkin and I filled the halls with DJ Pon3's broadcasts, and we danced the whole way. We were even joined by a few ponies. They came trotting and cantering along behind us, inspired by the sound.

"Ooh yeah! Ain't no party without a dash of Pumpkin Spice!" Pumpkin yelled as we went. I grinned from ear to ear, dancing to the music.

* * *

 _I sat in my cell, bored out of my mind. I wasn't even laying on my bed, I had slunk to the floor at some point and was just laying there, front legs splayed underneath me. I was laying on my chest. I thought I'd die of boredom, but I thought these same thoughts everyday. I just had no way out. It was a crushing cloud that dragged me down. Today I hadn't been queued for anything, nor invited to any parties. It didn't matter. Those parties were always the same. They were usually missing something, some dash of something special._

 _I sighed, blowing a little ball of dust. It puffed forward, spiraling up into the air, then coming to land on my nose. "Ack!" I stared at it, almost going crosseyed. Then I got a sniffle. The dust tickled my nose. "Ah," I opened my mouth. "Ah," I sat up. "Achoo!" I sneezed a bit violently, considering. I found myself smashing backward into the wall._

 _Picking myself up, I shook myself off. I looked around for the puff ball, and spotting it, I smiled and reared back, front down and butt up. I was stalking my prey. "Rowr," I made a soft growling sound, smiling toothily. I steadied myself, butt waving, then I pounced. "Gotcha!" I exclaimed, and my breath made the puff ball float away. The prey was running! "Oh no you don't!" I chased after it, but each stomp of my hooves blasted air on it and it continued to evade me._

 _"Wow, so that's what happens when you're bored as fuck. Huh," a red mare wearing a security uniform came wandering into my room. "Don't you know that's a dust ball cougar?" she giggled._

 _"What's a cougar?" I thought she'd tell me, like some of the other mares who liked to queue me. But she only threw her head back and laughed._

 _"Ha! Why the buck would I tell you?" she then tossed down the tray with my food on it. Or, it was on it. It sploshed over the side, leaving me with pretty much nothing and the dust ball flattened by the nasty liquid. "Hmm, pity. You lost your toy. But there are so many better things than that. Maybe I can queue you one day and show you? Hmm…that's actually one of my best ideas yet!"_

 _I watched the mare turn away. She swished her tail at me. I stared down at my glop, and my stomach growled painfully. I actually hadn't gotten breakfast today either. It's like the mares had completely forgotten about me. So I picked up my spoon. I guess I'd have to eat it from the floor._

 _My ears perked up when I heard a sound. The angry red mare was muttering something about somepony named Rose and going to see her. But I wasn't paying attention to that. I heard some soft sweet sound. I don't think I'd ever heard it. I abandoned my food and stepped toward the open door. My eyes darted between the mare and the open door. I had no second glances at the unwanted food. I darted forward, a cougar! Hehe._

 _"Music!" I shouted out in the hall. I heard it loud and clear. Somepony had turned on the speakers that lined the rows outside the cells, and it could only be heard from outside the cells. I heard enticing sounds drift around me and I began to shake and move. "Yay!" I was excited and overjoyed. Thrilled beyond belief. I hadn't had anything to do all day, so I think I'd just let the music overtake me._

 _I danced down the hall, wiggling my rump. "Hey! Dumbass! You are in so much trouble!" the angry red mare screamed. I didn't care. They'd have to catch me first, and I was dancing to the beat. And the beat was fast. I skipped and jumped and twirled around. The mare singing was pumped, and I loved her. I didn't even know who she was, lol!_

 _My hooves clopped over the metal floor, causing it to jangle under my weight. I wasn't very heavy though so it didn't make much sound. But looking back at my flailing tail and shaking booty in glee, I realized I had quite a round rump. "Dance and shake yo booty!" I shouted along to the lyrics. I did not have a singing voice._

 _Was I in a lot of trouble? Not yet. But that was to come. I didn't think about the consequences, but I think I should have. I learned the mare's name was Tide soon after. Tide was more than an angry red mare…_

* * *

I've always loved music, it was a happy uplifting thing. So why did it always get me into trouble? "What the hay is going on out here? Ponies are bucking trying to sleep!" Cherry Blossom shouted. He stood in our path and the music came to an abrupt halt. (Well, I clicked the off switch with my magic).

"There ain't no party without a dash of Pumpkin Spice!" Pumpkin shouted at him.

"Yeah yeah, you say that at all your parties. But this isn't a party Spice. How in the Fort did you even get all these ponies up and "shaking their bootays" at 4 in the morning?"

Pumpkin giggled, "Hee, you said "bootay"."

"Are you a little foal? Don't be immature. Everypony," Cherry snapped, "Get your asses back to bed! Some ponies are actually trying to sleep."

I hung my head, feeling dejected. "I was just having fun." I whimpered.

"You! You're worse than Pumpkin Spice. You are like a little colt that doesn't know any better when you should!"

"Hey! Don't say that to him." Pumpkin frowned, "He's from the Stable. It's not his fault."

Cherry harrumphed and turned on his hooves. "Take a shower Orange Juice. You smell like gasoline." He stormed off.

Pumpkin sniffed me. "Hmm, you actually do smell like gasoline."

I pouted at her then turned away. My feelings had just been shredded, so I didn't feel up to her antics anymore. Whatever. I don't care. I'll just go take a shower. Yeah. I walked off, pushing past the few stragglers that hadn't yet followed Cherry's instruction to return to their rooms. "Hey! You don't even know where the shower is!" Pumpkin called.

I wandered around the halls for quite awhile. This was like when I'd been lost in the Stable that one time. There were directional signs, but I barely understood any of them. But…wait…there was a sign here, a picture on it. A shower with water coming out in dashed lines. A symbol of a pony's head was underneath. The arrow pointed down a hall and I ran off in that direction. I heard the sound of running water, a rattle of it hitting the floor and the hiss of steam.

I walked first into a locker room. There was a long bench that stretched the length of the room in the center. On either sides were lockers along the walls. One hung open and a dark blue tail was visible from behind it. It looked like the same color as the Guardian's mane. I opened my mouth to ask if it was him, when the locker closed and I saw it was the Guardian.

"Ah, Puppydog. You know, it's kinda frowned upon to just watch other ponies in a locker room. I mean, I don't care if you swing that way, that's completely fine, but don't look at me." he flashed his teeth in a steady smile.

I found it hard to form words. I hadn't realized until just now, but I had feared the worst for him. I had thought the raiders killed him, or worse, strung him up like they wanted to do with me and violated him like the Overmare would've. I gasped, "Swing what way?" I really didn't get it, and that's the only words my brain could form right now. My worry for the earth stallion was a strong feeling and my wild imagination. I really didn't know how to form my emotions into words the Guardian would understand.

"Right, I wouldn't expect you to get that," he whistled, and I noticed he had smile lines. How old was he?

I stumbled forward, crashing into him and awkwardly wrapping an arm around him to hug him.

"What…are you doing?"

I fell back, gulping, "I-I don't know."

The Guardian scruffed my mane affectionately, "I like the new do. Pumpkin Spice do that?"

"Mm hmm."

"Okay, well, I'm heading to my room. Hey, take a shower kid, you smell like gas!" he chuckled, at least saying it nicer than Cherry had. "When you're done, find Lily."

He was gone. I shook my head, feeling belittled. "Everypony keeps saying that." I went to the showers…

* * *

 _They caught up to me, and boy was it not fun when that security mare grabbed me by the tail and yanked hard. "I have the stallion in custody," she said into a walkie talkie. I stuck my tongue out at her. "Please turn that shit off. He's still shaking his stupid flank." The music finally faded away._

 _"Hey!" I pouted at her. "I was just having fun."_

 _"I don't give a mare's ass what you were doing. You are in direct violation of Stable-Tech law."_

 _I finally began to realize just how precarious my situation was. "Am I in trouble?" I began to tremble, scared._

 _"Of course you are, and if you think pretending to be scared is gonna get ya out of it, you have another thing coming." the mare snarled._

 _She was right of course. I shouldn't have left my cell without permission. I should've stayed and ate my gruel like a good little boy. Instead, I let boredom get the better of me and music take control. Music wasn't supposed to guide me. The Overmare was. What was I thinking?_

 _So when security came to hoof-cuff me, I submitted. They brought me to a room that I'd never seen before. There were metal brackets on the far wall, nailed deep into the wall. One mare opened them, and the red mare forced me to put my front hooves in place. They closed and I was locked in. I was up and against the wall, vulnerable to the mercy of the mares. But whatever the punishment was, I'd take it._

 _"You wanna be alone Tide, or you need help?" said another mare._

 _"I got this, what, you don't think I can whip an ass by myself?"_

 _"That's what I thought," came slick snickers as the mares left me alone with Tide. I tried to peer over my shoulder, but I couldn't._

 _"Whip?" I swallowed a hard lump in my throat._

 _"Yes, the punishment for first offense is ten lashes. You ready?" I could picture her sadistic smile as she said that to me._

 _"N-no." I don't think I wanted to know just exactly what "lashes" meant. But it didn't matter what I wanted._

 _I felt the first crack of the whip like a lightning strike. "Aaaauuugh!" I shrieked. Tide counted the number one aloud. Then another and another. I screamed and protested. In between belts, I whined like a mare when we service them and they're getting worked up. But my whines were from the intense pain._

 _"Nine," came another, "Ten." she came close to me. "Colt, I enjoyed that," she whispered in my ear. I met her eyes. I was crying, so she was just a blur. But the face I saw through the water in my eyes was one I didn't want to see again for a very long time. She disappeared from view. "I think I'll give you one more for good measure." she laughed._

 _"But y-you said t-ten."_

 _"Hey, I don't make the rules, I just bend em." she chuckled and hit me again, and this was the hardest and most searing one yet._

 _She unlocked the brackets and I fell hard to the ground. "Here, drink up," she set down a red health potion. "I don't wantcha scarred for when I queue ya. Gotta keep that sexy body huh. You know, I wouldn't really like ya so much if you didn't look as feminine as you did." she left the room laughing and I just stared at the glass bottle in front of me._

 _For a long time I laid there. She was planning on queuing me. I began to sob, my body racking, but that was the only motion for awhile. I knew the burning cuts would quickly go away if I just drank the potion, but I didn't feel like it. Eventually I stopped crying and drank it, but for some strange reason, I never really wanted to. The pain and the scars went away._

* * *

I was thinking about a lot of things as water ran over me. I don't think anypony ever commented on what I smelled like back in the stable. Had I just never smelled bad, or did nopony care as long as they got their service? I really didn't know. But maybe it was a good thing the ponies of the Fort cared. I knew the water felt good. Oh Luna, I'd never felt anything so nice and warm. I just wanted to stand here forever. I reached for the soap that sat on a little shelf and began scrubbing it in. The lather formed huge bubbles. Um, maybe I just used too much. But hey, did it really matter? I took a big breath and blew some of the bubbles forward. The white foam floated away and landed on the concrete floor. I giggled, entertained, and blew more soap around. When I finally left, I think the showers were more clean than I was.

 ** _(Chapter 8 set for 4/3/17 12:00pm CT_**

 _Omg! You gotta love Pumpkin Spice, am I right? And ugh, Orange Juice is so adorable! These flashbacks, boi. I keep getting great ideas for them. I hope you're liking them. I also hope they aren't getting angsty. If you don't like it or anything, tell me. I don't usually go super dark, but every once in awhile things like this happen, lel. There's a scene in Shades and Tails that gets really intense too, and I had to sit back and look at what I wrote and I was like, whoa, where did that come from? So if it's too dark for your taste guys, please say so, I don't want to scare anyone away._

 _Anyway, the manecut was a new idea that came to me, and I kept thinking omigosh he's gonna be so adorable. I actually styled the new mane after a character I drew last year (completely unrelated XD). I've updated the cover photo as well. I HAD to draw him with his new mane dancing down the halls. I hope you like it :3 I'm planning on adding some more stuff to it soon, so it looks so much more fun, but that's basically what it'll be._

 _Wow, I keep thinking of more things to say XD do you even want me to keep talking? Pumpkin's line "There aint no party without a dash of Pumpkin Spice." was inspired by "There aint no party like a Pinkie Pie party." did anypony catch I implied Pumpkin's related to Pinkie? I hope that's okay :P_

 _And Tide, wow...she's so sadistic. On par with the Overmare. I tried my best to keep that PG-13. Also: **Tide is owned by Yolo Hobo Joe**. I do not claim her._

 _Okay, sheesh, enough of this. I think this is the longest footnote I've ever written. It just means I love ya. And if you read all of it, it shows loyalty and dedication (lol, I wrote that on my profile description too.) Okay, if you read all this, say "Pocky Stixx" lol XD. See ya soon.)_

 **Brohoof! /)**


	9. Chapter 8 Backward Glance

**Chapter 8** Backward Glance

Guardian

 _We were usually up to no good. We liked to break rules and test limits. I never really understood why the mares let us get into so much trouble. Of course they still punished us if we did something wrong, but it's like they turned a blind eye to our mischief. They didn't pay a lot of attention to us colts in general, but the other colts got in trouble a lot more often than us. Another thing is, we had nicknames for each other. Mares don't like it when we say it around them though, because we aren't supposed to have names. Eventually we'll get designations, and that's what we're supposed to go by._

 _Not us. He calls me Buck and I call him Thimble. We're closer than the other colts, and for very good reason. I don't know why the mares are okay with it. I feel like they shouldn't be, and there's something wrong when there isn't. It makes me suspicious. Thimble thinks that's silly. I say it's smart._

 _Today, Thimble had a plan. I wasn't really sure about this, but I let him talk me into it. "Where in Stable 28 did you get this anyway?" I was whispering to Thimble. We were sitting at one of the plastic tables in the schoolroom while everypony else played. We were ignored like always._

 _Thimble held up what looked like a sugar cube. But I knew it wasn't. "You know that nurse that comes to the nursery every night to give that blue unicorn sleeping pills because he has insomnia?"_

 _I facehoofed, "Please don't tell me—"_

 _"I pickpocketed her!" Thimble giggled._

 _"How did you manage that without getting caught?" my mouth was agape._

 _Thimble smirked, "I dunno, maybe she's just stupid."_

 _I laughed, "Way to go! That's awesome." Hey, what can I say? It's not like I've never done stupid stuff._

 _"Not as awesome as when I add it to our teacher's coffee. Distract her for me?"_

 _"I got you." I nodded. As he went off to the desk, I went to where some of the other colts were playing. I looked off to the side as though I was innocent, then I lunged forward, bumping into a green unicorn colt. "Hey, watch it!" I snapped at him._

 _Everypony turned to me. "You bumped into me dumbo."_

 _"Yeah right!" I gritted my teeth. Next thing I knew, we were in a fight. Both of us were on the ground wrestling, me on top of him, him on top of me, and both of us throwing punches. Exactly what I wanted._

 _"Hey!" the mare supervising us jumped up and strode our way. "What the buck are you two fighting about?"_

 _I met Thimble's eye from across the room. He winked then dropped the cube into the coffee cup. "He shoved me!" I pointed at the unicorn._

 _"Did not!"_

 _"Did too!"_

 _"Hey, both of you! Knock it off!" our teacher snapped. Sheesh, what was she gonna do, rap our hooves with a ruler?_

 _"Sorry," greenie hung his head._

 _"Well I'm not sorry," I snapped._

 _"Get over it, kuz I've got coffee I haven't finished." she turned around, dismissing us completely. I looked over at greenie and he looked just as stupefied by her disregard. We both shrugged._

 _Thimble skipped over to me, "Bro, you ready?" we both watched and waited. The mare was drinking her coffee just like she said._

 _It took a few minutes, but finally, her eyelids drooped, and she began nodding off. Thimble and I laughed when she dropped her head, relinquishing consciousness, and her drink spilled all over her. Good thing it had cooled down, otherwise it might've snapped her awake, but she'd wake up a little messy._

 _"Okay, Buck, let's blow this joint." We raced off to the door._

 _Greenie and the other colts took a few steps toward us, "Where are you two going?"_

 _"Out," said Thimble. I stuck my tongue out at them._

 _"You can't do that, you'll get in trouble!" greenie gasped._

 _"Ppt, whatever," Thimble rolled his blue eyes. "Who's gonna stop us? Sleeping Beauty?"_

 _Everypony glanced in the teacher's direction. She was gripping her mug like it was a teddy bear. "S-she can wake up any moment!" greenie stammered. There were a few shouts of agreement._

 _"Yeah, keep telling yourselves that. That just means they've gotcha under their hooves. Well not me and Buck." Thimble stomped a hoof, and the metal floor clanged loudly._

 _I smirked at all the colts who could only stare as Thimble and I went off into the Stable. They were scaredy-cats. But me and Thimble? We always had each other's flanks, no matter what._

* * *

"You ready for a tour of the compound kid?" I was knocking on Orange's door.

"N-no!" he stuttered, his voice muffled through the barrier. "I'm putting my armor back on."

"Why's that?" I was smiling knowingly to myself.

"B-because, I'm a blank flank."

"Where'd you hear _that_ derogative term? You haven't even been to breakfast yet!"

Orange mumbled something inaudible. I knocked two more times, chuckling, "Come on Puppydog, I can't understand you like that."

The hatch slid open, and Orange Juice stood in front of me, head low. His mismatched eyes looked anxious and dismayed. You know, I love those eyes. "Pumpkin kinda implied having no cutie mark at too old an age is a bad thing. She said she wouldn't want somepony to call me blank flank."

"Oh Pumpkin Spice, Pumpkin Spice, Pumpkin Spice." I shook my head. "Look, she doesn't always know better. She has a sort of random nature, and she kinda just blurts things."

"Oh." he looked up at me, nodding.

"Don't let your feelings get hurt, Puppydog."

"I can wear this still though, right? I really like it."

"Nopony is gonna stop you. We're not the Overmare."

"Ok." he nodded. Then he said, "I'm hungry."

"Alright, we can go to the mess hall first."

"And then a tour!" Orange was giddy on his hooves.

"Right, then the tour." We began walking in the direction of the mess hall. He skipped on the way there. "Nice manecut, by the way," I told him. "Pumpkin do that?"

"Yeah, it was awesome, kinda scary, but totally awesome!" He exclaimed. "And then, she gave me candy! From Nippony! I have no idea what that is, but pocky is awesome!"

"Well, I'm glad you got to meet our Master Stylist. It's nice you were looked after while I was out. From now on, you're my responsibility."

"She's a Master Stylist?" Orange peered at me with wide eyes.

"Yeah."

"What's that?"

I resisted the urge to facehoof. I had to remember he had little to no education. "She's the boss of all the other mane stylists."

"Oh! Is that like Chief of Medicine?"

"Chief of Medicine is the boss of all the doctors."

"Oh. I met Lily Bloom and Cherry Blossom yesterday too! Is Cherry the boss of anything?"

"He's not the boss of what he'd prefer to be the boss of, but yes, he's a quartermaster, the head of all our ordinance and supplies. He also oversees dealings with traders."

"I have no idea what you just said." Orange was grinning dumbly at me.

I shook my head, "Later, Puppydog. All in due time."

"My name is Orange Juice you know!"

"Go get breakfast O.J." I shoved him forward a little by his back legs. He squeaked but shot forward to where he saw the food was.

This morning I wasn't hungry. I usually skipped breakfast, and today was no exception. I went to sit where I usually sat, and I was joined by Cherry Blossom. "Hey Cher," I nodded to him. I eyed his tray of food, where he had stacked about 8 or so wheat pancakes.

"So, that's the new Puppydog, eh?" Cherry nodded to Orange Juice. I nodded slowly. "It's about damn time. I was starting to think there wouldn't be a new one."

"There'll always be a new one. You know why?"

"Nah, why?" Cherry said around a bite of flapjack.

"Because there will always be a colt smart enough to see past the Overmare's lies and seek a better life."

"Like you?" Cherry rose an eyebrow. Then he said before letting me answer, "You really think that one's smart? They probably let him out because he's so stupid."

"Ehh," I frowned and shrugged. "Everypony needs a little training."

"It might be good for him, ya know?" Cherry shot me a crooked smile. "Your somber attitude most of the time can change that colt's perspective on what he's actually dealing with."

I stared down at the table, "Somber, huh?"

"Yeah! You know, you never talk much about yourself. You got something in your past—other than the obvious—that make you like that?" Cherry asked, but he continued eating his pancakes like he didn't expect a response. The wasteland was full of broken backstories, but I didn't use that as an excuse.

We were abruptly interrupted when Orange Juice and Pumpkin Spice appeared at our table, the latter jumping up and down energetically, "Guardian! Can I take O.J. on the tour? Please say yes!"

I groaned, "Yes." where did that mare get all her energy anyway?

"YES! Come on O.J.!" Faust help that colt.

I turned back to Cherry. "Anyway…"

"Hey, I don't mind, nopony needs to get mushy gushy."

"Me? Telling a sob story? Funny Cher."

* * *

 _We made our way through the stable. Nopony was about, and we were able to go pretty easily. I'm sure security had to of been watching the cameras, but for some reason, nopony was sent after us. That just gave us the freedom we yearned for. We could go wherever we wanted. Thimble seemed to have a goal in mind._

 _"Where we headed?" I asked him._

 _"I sometimes hear the mares talking about how the stable has a door. A big one apparently. I've always wanted to see it."_

 _"How come you've never told me about this door?"_

 _"Because I've never thought much of it until recently. You know, when I got the sleeping pill plan?" He giggled devilishly. We were little imps, weren't we?_

 _The halls were eerily empty, but we were upbeat. Thimble's plan had worked. See, things like this—wandering the halls and such—I'm pretty sure even we would get in serious trouble if we'd been caught. We got away with a lot of things, but both of us had gotten in trouble for a lot too. The only way we were able to make our way about though was because it was still morning, and most mares were still asleep. However, when we reached the entrance chamber of the stable, we forgot all about getting caught or getting in trouble._

 _The big gear door of the stable towered in front of us. We weren't disappointed by the grandness that Thimble had heard about. I was shocked by how big it was. It was shut tight and stood in the path of anypony wishing to get out. So we stood under the scrutiny of the giant number 28, painted in yellow industrial font on the face of the gear. I wondered what was on the other side of that door, what the world looked like?_

 _"This is so amazing, right Buck?" Thimble breathed in awe. His voice echoed around the room._

 _I went down to the door, walking into the dust and dirt around it, below the metal walkways. "Yeah…where does it go?" I touched my hoof to it. The metal was cold like ice._

 _"Hey, look, I think this is how it opens!" Thimble called to me from a metal platform. There was a yellow control panel in front of him. "I have no idea how it works though."_

 _"Come down here," I said. He shrugged after glancing over the door control. Then he came to me._

 _"Dirt floor," Thimble stomped in the dust._

 _I began coughing, "Stop that!"_

 _"What? This?" he stomped harder, kicking up more dust. A whole dust cloud!_

 _"Yeah that! It's nasty and makes my throat hurt."_

 _"Okay, okay, sorry Buck." When the dust cleared, I saw Thimble staring up at the door. "I wonder where it goes too, Buck."_

 _He sat down slowly and just stared. I sat down beside him, and we thought and dreamed of what may lie on the other side. What was the stable keeping from us on the other side of the gear? We eventually found ourselves lying on the floor, chins on our hooves, staring longingly at the barricade. "I bet it's like the world we see in storybooks." Thimble sighed._

 _"Maybe."_

 _"What if we went out there one day?" Thimble proposed._

 _"What?" I twitched an ear and gave him a sideways glance._

 _"We could try to figure out how to open the door. We could go outside together. Wouldn't that be fun?" Thimble rolled his head, resting on his cheek and looking at me. His dark blue mane fell into the dust, part of his bangs covering his face. He was content._

 _I smiled at him. "That sounds like a good idea." I stared and daydreamed about our escape. One day, me and him would be free. I would make sure of it._

 _We shared thoughts and ideas about what the world might be like, lying there all day until security came to get us. It was a lazy day, and our restful daydreaming felt refreshing. Me and Thimble? We worked too hard considering we were a couple of troublemakers. Maybe it'd be better to cause trouble in a world that actually cared. And for a long time, our naive minds actually believed it would be a reality. Unfortunately, the world was a lot crueler than that…_

 ** _(Chapter 9 set for 4/10/17 8:00pm CT_**

 _It's a bit ironic that that mare fell asleep after drinking coffee XD. I hope we got an interesting look into the Guardian here. I wanted to try something different, and add a little bit of development and backstory for him. I hope you enjoyed his perspective. More to come later in the story. Love ya!)_

 **Brohoof! /)**


	10. Chapter 9 Tour Guide

**Chapter 9** Tour Guide

Pumpkin brought me around the Fort today. She couldn't stop bouncing, but I think that's how she always was. I thought it was funny, and she made me giggle a lot. She also made the tour very fun. The base was like a big concrete maze, but she knew her way around. She took me from the mess hall to the armory, and as I went in, I lit up like a…well, I don't really know like what. But there were different kinds of armor of all shapes and sizes and there were all different sorts of guns I'd never seen before.

I ran straight to the biggest suit, "Oh my goodness! This is power armor right? Like what the Guardian has?"

"Kinda, it's actually heavy combat armor," Pumpkin was saying, but I was already zipping to the other side of the room, past a rack of guns and to another set of armor.

"What about this?" I was very energetic right now.

"Ooh," Pumpkin was right next to me eying it with one super wide eye, "This one's pleather—" I had already dashed off to another piece.

"This one! This one! This one!" I felt really hyper right now. Hehe.

"Orange Juice!" Pumpkin was giggling.

I ran over to a wall full of guns. "What kind of guns are these?"

"Energy weapons! But you're probably more dangerous at this point!" Pumpkin laughed out loud.

I tilted my head to one side, "Huh?"

"I think I recognize a sugar rush when I smell one. Come on O.J.!" said Pumpkin.

"Oh! Where to next?!"

"The range!" Pumpkin bounced along. We turned a few corners, and I saw a couple signs on the walls that had symbols of guns and pony heads wearing something on their ears.

I tapped one with my hoof, "What are they wearing?"

"Ear muffs!"

"What are they for?"

Pumpkin hid her laughter behind her hoof, "You're so funny. They're to protect your ears from loud gun noises."

"Gun noises, hehe!" I grinned foolishly.

Pumpkin leaned forward, sniffing at me. "Yep! Definitely sugar."

I leaned away from her uncomfortably. "What the?"

"Come on, do you wanna see the range? Do ya, do ya?"

"Yeah!" I hopped into the air gleefully.

I think I was imagining something else when I heard the word 'range'. Like, a big open field for running around in or something. That would be so much fun! Maybe that was wishful thinking. Given the state I'd already seen the city in there probably weren't any green grassy meadows. But I did hear the _pop pop pop_ of a weapon firing repeatedly. I stopped at the threshold of the room. I was afraid of what might be in there. I didn't know.

"Aren't you coming Orange?" Pumpkin paused to look over her shoulder at me.

"What's in there?" I gulped. Pumpkin opened her mouth to respond, but another pony stepped up beside her.

It was Cherry Blossom. "Just me." he butted in.

"Oh, hey Cherry!" Pumpkin beamed at him.

He narrowed his eyes at the two of us, "You know, Orange should be the Guardian's responsibility at all times. You're a bad influence on him."

"I am?" Pumpkin looked confused about that.

I wandered past the two older ponies. The range was definitely different than I thought. There were rows of stalls with long stretches of floor ahead of each. At the ends were targets on stands, in the shapes of ponies. "Whoa," I breathed, taking it in as I walked down the rows. There were a few ponies here firing at the targets and I stopped to stare. One mare that was shooting didn't seem to miss any of her shots.

"Need something colt?" she asked, but didn't stop shooting.

"What are you doing?!" I jolted when Cherry snapped in my ear. "What did I tell you Pumpkin?"

* * *

 _I'd been invited to another party, but this one seemed way smaller. What had it been called? I think somepony said it was a houseparty. I still wasn't sure who the host was. I was wandering around a little lost, feeling left out. There wasn't any reason for mares to be paying attention to me, especially not when there were a couple other stallions here getting way more attention. I don't know if I was much of a judge of looks, but I could say they were pretty tall and muscular. Maybe that's what appealed to the mares sending winks at them. I wished they would look at me like that._

 _"Hey! Why are you looking so glum?" said a familiar voice nearby me, and I instantly perked up._

 _"Bookworm!" I spun around, bounding toward her. She sat in an armchair, a book in front of her and a drink on the small table beside her. It was in a glass bottle I didn't recognize. "What's that?" I eyed it._

 _"Sparkle-Cola. I bought a bunch for the party."_

 _That didn't clear anything up for me, but it didn't matter. She said she bought some for the party. "Are you the host?!" my heart skipped a beat._

 _"Of course I am. Yet, that doesn't mean anything to these mares. They're here for the hot stallions, not the music, and especially not me."_

 _"Hot? What does that mean?" I cocked my head in innocent curiosity. "Do they have a fever?!"_

 _"No!" Bookworm laughed. "It means they're attractive, mares really like the way they look."_

 _"What does that have to do with anything?" I scrunched my eyebrows, trying to comprehend what she was saying._

 _"Hey, your eyes are all weird!" Bookworm gasped._

 _I refocused on her, "Huh?"_

 _"You went all cross eyed for a second. What were you doing?"_

 _"Thinking really hard!" I nodded and beamed._

 _"Thinking. Right." she hoofed the book in front of her unconsciously, looking to the side. She started to pick the book up._

 _I stared at the cover, it had a background of some sort of explosion and in front of it, a big white unicorn with wings facing off with a smaller pony with black and white stripes. Intrigued by the picture I lifted a hoof to point at the cover, asking, "Whatcha reading?" I accidently poked the book, startling Bookworm. She accidently tossed it to the side, where it toppled her drink and drenched the pages._

 _"Oh!"_

 _The color drained from my face. "Oh no! I'm so sorry Bookworm!" I cried out. I can't believe I just did that!_

 _The gray mare shook her head and picked up the now empty bottle of Sparkle-Cola. "Don't worry about it." her voice had risen in pitch, and I saw her cheeks were a little red. I cowered back a little, ashamed. "I can get another one, it's alright. Look, not even all the pages are ruined."_

 _"O-okay." I avoided making eye contact. How could she forgive me? I ruined her book._

 _"Anyway, it's a copy of the only book on the Great War that was ever written. It's how it all started."_

 _"How all what started?" I asked, wide eyed and finally making eye contact again._

 _Bookworm paused, staring between my two eyes for a moment. She smiled and made a 'hmm' sound. "You know, I never noticed that you have two different colored eyes. I love that."_

 _I blushed at her, "R-really?" she nodded. "Well I like your eyes too."_

 _Her mouth made an O. "Oh, I'm nothing special."_

 _"Don't say that! I think you are." we both smiled at each other._

 _"Thank you."_

* * *

"I don't think she's a bad influence," I snapped, surprising both Pumpkin and Cherry. I had my front hooves spaced in front of me and I was kind of leaning backward. Cherry had me on the defensive and I really didn't like it.

Cherry gathered himself enough to counter, "First of all, you haven't known Pumpkin long enough to determine _what_ kind of influence she has on you. Second, you aren't old enough or experienced enough to know who has had what influence on you."

Now I was just baffled, and by Pumpkin's look, so was she. "Wait, wha—?" I started.

Cherry plowed on, "I on the other hoof know exactly what you need."

"You do?" Pumpkin and I asked at the same time.

"How's about you take me on in the range? Get some well needed practice in ya?"

"Practice? For what?" I tilted my head at him.

"Ooh, I have a bad feeling!" Pumpkin was shaking up and down, but she didn't elaborate.

Cherry shoved a pistol at me, and I grabbed at it, startled. "Get into one of the firing lines. I'll be in the one beside ya."

The line loomed before me as I stepped up to it. It was ominous, and that target looked really far away. I had the feeling Cherry wanted me to shoot it. But how in Stable 28 was I supposed to manage that? The thought just made me tremble at the knees.

Something was jammed down on my head. "Put those over your ears. If ya need help, just look over to me. Also, don't be afraid to take advantage of SATS and your EFS."

"O-okay." I nodded promptly. I could do this. I had to prove to this big tough stallion I could. I wanted to try at least. I would get nowhere otherwise. So I had to be optimistic.

"Set your stance, you've gotta be strong and act like you mean it!" Cherry called over to me.

"Strong and like I mean it," I repeated to myself. I lifted the gun up in my turquoise aura, aiming toward the target. I tried to focus on activating SATS but I couldn't figure out how. I had to rely on the crosshair of my EFS, but the target was so far away that it was no surprise when I missed.

"Come on, you can do it!" I barely heard Pumpkin yelling to me through my ear muffs. I appreciated her encouragement.

That was encouragement I needed, but it wouldn't help in the moment. I wasn't very good at all when it came to this. I have no idea how I ever managed to survive against raiders in the wasteland. I guess I would have to count myself lucky, huh? Only optimism would get me through it. Even though I couldn't hit the target, I wouldn't let that make me upset. Today just wasn't the day. But I really did want to come back and try again eventually.

"Easy there, foal," said the Guardian's voice. He stood waiting behind me. He was frowning, staring at the target I'd been attempting to hit. Attempting was the key word. There wasn't a single bullet hole to be seen.

The Guardian took the gun from me, leaving me dumbfounded as he stepped up to the range and took aim. It had taken me forever to even just _miss_ the target. But in less than 3 seconds, the Guardian had put a bullet hole in four major points of the target. My eyes widened and I stared up at my Guardian, seeing him in a whole new light. He was totally awesome!

I jumped into the air, "How in Stable 28 did you do that so fast?!"

The Guardian set the gun down on the countertop in this stall. He seemed in thought. "You know, you don't have to say that anymore kid. You're not in Stable 28."

"Huh?" I was bemused, "What am I supposed to say?"

"Most wastelanders say 'what in Equestria'."

"What's Equestria?" Why did ponies keep telling me things and then when I asked about them, their answers only left me more confused? I didn't understand why I was left in the dust on everything.

The Guardian sighed, "Still so much to learn before you'll be any use." the Guardian turned and began walking away.

I saw Cherry and Pumpkin were observing us, but I ignored them. They both seemed silent in the presence of the veteran. I didn't get it, but I was more interested in what the Guardian had told me. "Use for what? Am I gonna do something?"

"You know, I have hope for you. You're everything that we need. Enthusiastic, energetic, resourceful. But there's a few ponies here that don't have my same confidence in you."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." I told him.

I think he was talking to himself, because he went on like he hadn't heard me. "But that's always the way. My Guardian had every faith in me when nopony else did."

"You had a Guardian?"

The Guardian glanced down at me for a second, pausing in his quick pace. He narrowed his eyes then decided something. "Come on. There's a few things you need to see."

* * *

Clouds hung dully overhead, casting shade upon the earth. The sun was being covered by the big white puffs of fluff. "Ooh," I watched them slowly crawl like slugs across the sky. The Guardian had went to the railing at the edge of the roof, and I closed the roof access door behind us. We were now atop the Fort. I had no idea it was even possible to get up here. I'm glad it was, because it was so cool! I trotted up to where the Guardian sat with his front legs on the rail, staring out into the wastes.

"Whatcha looking at?" I could see the highway from here, heading back into the crumbled city of Bittsberg. I could imagine that the little specks on the road—that I knew were cars from walking past them—would drive everywhere, like little ants that went to and fro within their nest. Or hive, or whatever the little bundles of dirt were that they crawled in and out of. (I knew because I'd seen one once in the corner of my cell, ants that had managed to form a colony before the radiation mutated them. Their kids were all normal to this day because they'd been safe in the stable. At least, I'm pretty sure that's how it worked).

Ponies a long time ago had probably been really busy all the time, hadn't they? I didn't know why they would abandon their cars though. Why didn't they drive to get to the stables faster? That made more sense to me.

"I'm looking at the vast wasteland." the Guardian finally interrupted my thoughts. I glanced at him. I noticed his cutie mark was the angry and determined face of light blue buck, lowering his forehead and preparing to strike with large black antlers.

"I thought that was Bittsberg." I stated bluntly. I felt stupid for not seeing what he saw.

The Guardian gave a soft snort, "No, what I see is something that could've been good. Now it's just overrun by a lot of bad."

"Is that what the wasteland is?"

"Sort of. Bittsberg was going to open up a new settlement, a place where ponies could be safe from the chaotic anarchy of a broken Equestria."

I stopped him for a second, "Can you say smaller words? You sound like one of Bookworm's history books."

He chuckled, "I don't know who Bookworm is, but I can try." I smiled. I was eager to listen as I always was when learning something new. "We were going to create a home and keep it safe from danger. That's part of the reason the Fort was created. It was working. But then raiders attacked our trading partners, and the caravans, and took over the main trading routes. Everything fell apart. Now it's all just another part of the wasteland. And everypony thinks the Fort is lost."

"It can't be lost!"

"It can, and it is. Nopony has even bothered to come help. We're a lost cause unless those raiders are put out of commission."

We sat in silence for a second after that. The Guardian continued to stare out at a wasteland that he considered a lost cause when all I saw was a city full of hidden treasure. I wanted him to be happy, like I was!

" _Good afternoon, my good ponies of the wasteland. (Get outa here if you're scum, you aren't wanted!) Hahaaa! Don't be bothered by the doom and gloom when you can find some source of hope in your friendly neighborhood master of disks. Yep, it's me, DJ Pon3! Whoo!"_

"What is that?" the Guardian looked over to me, raising an eyebrow. I had taken out hammy, and set him down between us. With a large smile, I turned up the volume knob, letting my favorite radio host shine some light on a gloomy situation. The Guardian stared down at the radio in wonder.

DJ Pon3 continued, " _I'm pumped today, you know why? There were unconfirmed reports of a small struggle just outside the Fort in Bittsberg. Apparently there was an explosion underneath an overpass that was just near the entrance to our illustrious military compound. Hmm, now isn't that interesting. I think I'm going to have to keep an eye out for that. I wonder if it has something to do with our little runaway colt. You know, that one from the infamous Bittsberg Stable? Yep, that's the one. I guess you'll have to bear with me. It's not bad news, which is good, but it isn't good news just yet either. Alright, why don't we get going on some classic hits? (Are they really classic?) Here's some good stuff from the CMC."_ a song started that had to do with cutie marks. Since I didn't know much about cutie marks, it was an interesting song.

The Guardian clicked the off switch with his hoof. "Thank you, Puppydog." He got up and left, heading back into the Fort. I watched him go, wondering why he turned the music off.

* * *

 _"Would you like me to read to you?" Bookworm said to me. The party was starting to clear out, and all that were left were only a few mares and the stallions that hadn't disappeared with a mare or two. It had quieted down significantly._

 _"Isn't it weird for you to be talking to me for so long?" I asked her. I think we'd gotten a few looks since she'd called me over earlier. They weren't the kind of looks I'd been hoping for at the start of the party._

 _"Probably, but nopony really liked me much anyway." Bookworm shrugged. "What's a little history?"_

 _"Sure, okay!" I agreed._

 _Bookworm led me to another room in her quarters, a small library. I wondered if she had to be more important than other mares to have a bigger set of quarters like this. I didn't actually know the answer to that of course. Bookworm picked a book from the shelf, climbing up a ladder to grab it, then she sat down on the floor, at the edge of circular rug, gesturing for me to do the same. I was happy to oblige. There were very few mares in this stable that I actually felt comfortable around. It was rare, but she was definitely one of them._

 _She read from the book, telling a story. I didn't understand most of it, it was told in a more academic language I'd never had the chance to learn. Bookworm was perfectly happy to answer lots of my questions. See, I think Bookworm was probably a librarian or something, but she was the kind of pony that would be a great teacher._

 _Eventually, I began to fall asleep, and as I dozed off in my half asleep state, I heard the sound of song in my head. It was the conjurings of a dream from my tired brain, probably, but I heard the words that were sung in a dark tone, "All hearts can be brighter." Bright like Bookworm's. She was so kind and willing to be openminded. No matter the fact that what she did was looked down upon._

 _I would look forward to every time Bookworm queued me just to read books to me. They were mostly big books of big words, but I didn't care. I sat and listened every time. I really enjoyed just listening to her voice really, and the fact that she wanted to give me company._

 _I was the last stallion left at her party. She was going to have to walk me back to my cell. At the door, we stopped. "I kinda wish I didn't have to leave you here."_

 _"What was that?" I hadn't heard her clearly._

 _She shook her head, "Nothing."_

 _"Have a good night Bookworm!" I beamed at her._

 _She leaned forward and bumped my forehead with hers. "Bye."_

 _"What was that for?" I watched her go, but she never said what was up._

 ** _(Chapter 10 set for 4/13/17 1:30pm CT_**

 _Hey, sorry this is a little off schedule. Its been a little busy. At least I managed to post the day I meant to XD. So, did you like this chapter? I wanted Orange's flashbacks to be relaxed again. Hopefully the mood here was nice. Also, hey! We got a little much needed DJ Pon3 action! I've been missing that. It's refreshing, especially since the dialogue is so fun to write (and read, lol). Kk, comment what ya think. Love ya!)_

 **Brohoof! /)**


	11. Chapter 10 Nit and Grit

**Chapter 10** Nit and Grit

That week, I started training with the Guardian with help from Cherry. I also continued to see Lily Bloom and Pumpkin Spice a lot. I actually went to pay Pumpkin visits quite often. Especially after a long day of training, and _especially_ after a long day of training with Cherry specifically. He was tough on me, and I didn't think he liked me at all.

Getting used to staying at the Fort was an interesting endeavour for me. At night I slept in my own room. But there were nights it was hard for me to get to sleep. Tonight was one such night. I lay on my back, my hooves in the air toward the ceiling.

I wondered if they'd be willing to find glowy star stickers to put up there. I'd heard of those once. Like looking up at the night sky from the comfort of your bed. I yawned, my tongue lapping the roof of my mouth. I stretched out and tried laying on my side, but nothing worked.

I eventually decided to get up out of bed. Groaning, I hit the floor, and stumbled when I tried to take steps forward. "Whoa, steady there O.J." I told myself. I smiled, shaking my head to wake myself up.

I let my hooves carry me along, not having any idea where I was going but feeling relaxed despite myself. I was even humming as I went, a song I'd heard on the radio. I tried to be as quiet as possible though so I wouldn't wake anypony up.

I think I walked for half an hour, I wasn't sure. I just knew the door I came to was far from my room. I'd went all the way past the kitchen and up a big flight of stairs. I'd walked underneath a ceiling made of glass before I'd come here, the moon bathing me in its mysterious white glow. In the middle of the hall ran a length of planter section. The plants in it were sprouting up and some flowers bloomed. Under normal circumstances, I would've stopped out of curiosity. I thought plants couldn't grow.

I came to another section of the base set aside for private quarters. The halls here were only dimly lit by slim rectangular sconces and lighting strips on the floor. I wondered how they powered it. Ooh! Maybe it was magic! I stopped for only a split second, taking after Pumpkin and giving the lights a couple whiffs. That did not prove useful, so I had no idea why the mare did it so often. I continued on.

And so I found myself at the door. I knew who's room it was. I had come to the Guardian's private quarters. How I figured that was beyond me. But it didn't matter now that I was here. Here at, oh…I checked my Pip-Buck…1:30 in the morning. Wow! I didn't even feel tired.

I lifted a hoof to knock, but thought better of it, thinking it'd be stupid to wake my guardian. Upon trying the door though, I found that it was locked. I'd been shown how to pick locks using a screwdriver and a bobby pin. Besides failing at it several times, I didn't have those things with me. But I was determined, and I was not going to give up. I'd been told a bunch to use my determination to my advantage. So I would. Unable to go about it the conventional way, I had to think of something else.

I remember once that the Guardian had told me I was resourceful. That was a big word, and I barely knew what it meant, but I knew it was something I had to be here. I concentrated, I was thinking about my goal. I bet I looked funny. Bookworm pointed out a long time ago that I went cross eyed when thinking really hard. It wasn't something I did on purpose though, haha.

My horn began to glow its turquoise light, and I felt a sensation go through me. It was the feeling of magic. Not a hard spell, but certainly not as simple and easy as levitation. How was I doing this!? My magic concentrated around the door mechanism, working on deactivating the electronic lock. I heard a clicking sound, then the door slid apart, opening to reveal the main sitting room of the Guardian's quarters.

"Whoa!" my eyes were saucers at the incredible feat I'd just accomplished all on my own.

* * *

 _The light pink mare with the caramel brown mane opened the door to her quarters that she kept telling me were new and improved. I was expecting a castle, but inside we found a palace. "You're like a filly in a candy shop. What's so amazing?"_

 _"You didn't tell me it would be so big. Look, there's an upstairs!" I skipped forward, running to the stairway and bounded to the top. I looked down over the metal railing at the mare._

 _She giggled girlishly, smiling brightly up at me. "You're sweet. It's definitely not the biggest housing in the Stable. You're just a flatterer, you."_

 _"If you say so." I said uncertainly to her. "Oh, hey! Can I look around?" I was restless._

 _"It's not like I'm Tide or something. I'm not gonna stop you. But you probably won't find anything interesting. I just moved in." she shrugged. I ran off, set on the loose, and there was no stopping me._

 _I ran down the hall at the top of the stairs, entering a random room. There was a standard Stable-Tech bed and dresser, but not much else. I ran over to the dresser, which I saw as a pirate's treasure chest filled with booty. I opened a couple drawers. "Arrgh, avast ye maties. I have found the lost treasure." I tapped the open drawer, a little hard, "X marks the spot!" inside, something rattled from the force of my tap. I saw a little orb roll toward me, bouncing against the outer wall of the dresser drawer._

 _The mare came in, "What did you find?"_

 _"Treasure!" I picked it up and held it out to her._

 _"Oh!" she gasped, but she didn't seem pleasantly surprised like I expected her to be, she seemed frightened. That's when she faded away and I was taken to a completely different place._

 _I think it was the Overmare's office. I couldn't be sure, I'd never been. I took a step forward, toward a big desk. But I wasn't in control of the action. "Ten years, ma'am." I spoke, but it was a mare's voice. I was in somepony else's body! "Just ten years!"_

 _"He is ten years old?" said a pony. She sat in a chair behind the desk, looking stern. The expression she wore scared me._

 _"The other one is eleven," said a third mare. Her red fur tipped me off as to who she was. I would've trembled if I had my own body._

 _The mare behind the desk slammed a hoof down on its surface, "What other one?!" she snapped angrily._

 _The mare I was in took a tentative step backward. Tide laughed at her, "Ha! You haven't told her about the other one?"_

 _"That was supposed to be our little secret!" the mare whined._

 _"There are no secrets kept from me in this Stable!" yelled the important mare. Even Tide was startled by the outburst._

 _"I'm so sorry. I didn't want you to—"_

 _"To what? Put one down like I did in a similar situation 22 years ago?"_

 _The mare I was in hung her head and I saw the floor beneath her hooves. "Yeah…that."_

 _"You can't possibly love those colts?"_

 _"No…" she shook her head. Then everything faded out._

 _The orb rolled from my hoof, shattering on the floor. It went into a million shiny, shimmery purplish and bluish pieces. I stared at the light pink mare who had queued me today, working my jaw and trying to figure out what to say. I burst into tears, falling backward. My butt hit the floor and I wailed._

 _"Hey, what's wrong, why are you crying?" the pink mare ran toward me, putting a hoof on my back and stroking in small circles in an attempt to comfort me._

 _"I-I don't…know what that—*sniffle*—what that was. A-and…it was s-scary!" I spoke through sobs._

 _"Please stop crying. It'll be fine. Oh, I like you, I don't wanna have to write this up." She went on in a sort of desperate ramble. After a moment where she realized I still couldn't collect myself, she said in soothing tones, "Here, why don't you tell me what you saw?"_

 _I couldn't even form a coherent thought let alone voice those thoughts into words. I didn't want to think about it, and I didn't want to talk about it. The scene had scared the sunlight out of me._

 _Biting my lip, I shook my head in a big old no. Tears still streamed freely down my cheeks and down my muzzle, drenching the fur of my face._

 _"Do you want a hug then?" she asked me._

 _After a beat, I decided I did and I nodded firmly. The mare shifted, coming to be in front of me, then wrapped her hooves around me and pressed my face into her chest. "It's gonna be okay, just let it out." she told me. I did._

 _We sat there in silence like that for awhile. I didn't want her to let me go. The mares that generally queued me knew I was fragile and still a colt at heart, always. They were always so gentle, and never did anything crazy with me. They liked it easy just as much as I, otherwise, why would they queue me?_

 _She pulled back, looking into my eyes. "Do you wanna head to the master bedroom, little colt? It's bedtime, and I was just thinking we could cuddle."_

 _I nodded wordlessly, and she got up and led me to the master bedroom, further down the hall than the room we'd been in. This bedroom was bigger. She picked up a corner of the blankets with her teeth, gesturing for me to come lay down. I did, and she then got in next to me._

 _Carefully, she wrapped her hooves around me, the big spoon. She held me, which made me feel calm and content. We cuddled like that through the night, and I fell asleep with her._

* * *

Looking around, I took in the first room of the Guardian's quarters. It was a sitting room, a couch up against the wall to the right, a shelf against the south wall to the right of the door, a coffee table in front of the couch. To the left at the far end of the room was another shelf with cabinets and drawers on it. To the left of the couch was a huge open archway that led into more of the rooms.

It reminded me of a little palace. I went to the next room, which seemed to be a small study. There was a desk at the far wall and bookshelves in here. There was another door on the west wall, so I went to it. I opened it into the dark space of the Guardian's bedroom. He was asleep on the bed, and on the nightstand was a pistol, within his reach. I guessed it was there for his protection.

I glanced around. Did I dare go in? I didn't want to wake the Guardian up. My hooves began moving me forward, I was too curious. I trotted over to the dresser, my eyes on the Guardian the whole time. Ooh! I remembered a long time ago something I'd found in a dresser once. It had been scary though. But hey, this was the Guardian's room, and I was optimistic. Why would he have a scary glass sphere?

I opened the bottom drawer, clothes that I couldn't possibly imagine the Guardian would ever wear. Next drawer, more clothes. The second from the top had a rattling sound inside when I pulled it open. My eyes widened. What were the odds? I reached my hoof in, pulling out a glass sphere like the one I'd found a few years ago.

I gasped, and nearly dropped it. I didn't want to see anything like what had happened before. Gently, I lowered the orb, putting it on the floor. Then with one last quick glance at the Guardian resting peacefully, I lowered my face and used my nose to roll the sphere out of the room. No siree, that orb would not turn on! I wouldn't let it.

"Huh, whazzit?" the Guardian lifted his head, but I was out the door lickity split.

Just imagine me using my nose to push the glass ball along as I ran. Whelp, that's exactly what I did. I rolled the orb all the way back to my room, trotting as fast as my hooves would take me without losing the ball. I felt like something was chasing behind me, an angry ghost or a monster, and I didn't want it to get me. I was also scared the Guardian would find out I stole something from him. I don't even know why I did it. I was just so curious. But here I was, running off with my little prize. It was a pretty color too. It was blue and white, and the two colors glimmered, swirling together on a dark black base.

Once in my room, I hit the button to close the door as hard and as fast as I could. The door shut and I finally felt safe. I left the sphere at the base of the door, and I went over to my bed, putting a pillow on the top of my dresser. Then I used the blanket to pick up the orb, moving it over to the pillow. "There ya go little guy. Now you're safe. Hey! Ima show ya to Pumpkin tomorrow."

Yawning, I climbed into my bed. "Whattaya think of that?" I licked my lips. Then I laid my head back. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out.

* * *

"PUMPKIN! PUMPKIN!" I ran into the barber's shop, waving the orb around like a maniac. I couldn't wait for her to see it. I had on my combat armor, so my hooves weren't actually touching the thing. I didn't know if that mattered, but so far it hadn't turned on.

"Whoa! Calm down little pony! Hehe!" Pumpkin was behind me, like she'd sprung up from the floor. When I turned around she gave me such a shock that I almost tossed the sphere out of surprise. She was upside down in the air, her face level with mine, but she wasn't touching the ground.

"What the?" I started, but suddenly she was on the floor again like it had never happened.

"Whatcha have there Orange Juice?" she leaned forward on her front two hooves, both back hooves leaving the floor as she stared at the glass sphere.

"I don't know what it is, but the last time I found one, it showed me a bunch of mares talking. One was yelling and she was really angry at the mare I was being."

"Wait _WHAT?_ ARE YOU FREAKING CRAZY?" Pumpkin screamed and jolted into the air. When she landed she stared at me with two wide open eyes.

"No?" I looked back and forth, unsure what was up. I mean, the brown mare seemed to be up and all over the place, but beside that…

"That's a memory sphere," she said calmly.

"What's that?" I asked her.

She began to reach for it, about to take it from me, but then she thought better of it, "Oh, it just shows the _memories_ of the pony who created it. Whatever memory they want to put in it."

"Oh!"

She stared up at the ceiling, putting a hoof to her chin, "If I was to make one for myself, I would make it about chicken. Then again, I've never had a pet chicken." I realized the hoof she was using to stroke her chin in thought was mine.

I pulled my hoof away fast. "Chicken?" I asked her.

"ORANGE JUICE!" she exclaimed, "Where did you get that?" she pointed at the memory sphere.

I started blushing, averting my gaze from hers, "Um—"

"You got it from the Guardian!" Pumpkin shouted.

"What about me?" and in came the Guardian. Oh boy.

Pumpkin snatched the ball from my hoof, stuffing it into her poofy mane to hide it. "Nothing!" she screamed as she turned to face the stallion. I stared at her like she was crazy, which she probably was, then I burst into a fit of giggles.

The Guardian looked between the two of us, then shrugged it off. "Puppydog, what would you say if I took you out into the wastes today?"

That was the best idea I'd ever heard, "Really!?" I was ecstatic!

"Yes really, but you need to gather your weapons."

"Omigosh!" I bounced up and down when he left. "I can't believe he's taking me into the wasteland."

"This is so exciting!" Pumpkin was smiling widely, almost an impossible smile, if you didn't know her.

* * *

I was with the Guardian as we went out to the wasteland. We went back to the highway that had brought us here, and we were going to head back into the city. "Can I play music?" I asked him.

"No."

A few moments passed in silence. "Can I sing?"

"No."

I was silent for a little bit longer. "Can I hum?"

The Guardian groaned, "No, Puppydog."

"But why not?" I threw my head back, whining.

"In Bittsberg it isn't safe to play music whenever you want. You might attract dangerous enemies."

"Oh, right." I nodded slowly in understanding. Then a few more minutes later, "But I really wanna listen to music!"

"Today, we're going to a small raider camp. I wanted to test your ability. How does that sound?"

"That sounds fun!" I yipped in excitement.

"Yeah, fun." the Guardian didn't sound fully into that notion.

When we got to the camp, it was just inside the city. It was put together by scraps of metal and fencing that made up the outer walls of their encampment.

"Are we going in there?" I asked.

"You will be. Get your gun ready."

"Wait, you aren't coming with me?"

"I'll be around if things get hairy. Besides, there aren't that many in there. You'll be fine!"

"O-okay." he gave me a gentle shove toward the entrance. I lifted my ten mil in my magical grasp, keeping it in front of me protectively.

As I got closer to the inside, I heard enthusiastic talking.

" _And he bucking squealed like a filly. Wastelanders are bucking hilarious!"_

" _Right Jeweliet,"_ somepony laughed.

Another weasely voice piped up, " _You always tell the same old bucking story."_

" _It's not the same one dumbass!"_

" _Well then, your tactics need improvement."_

" _Nah uh, works just fine every single time, and gives me a good laugh."_

They came into my sight and I felt like my hooves were made of cement. My hoof brushed over a loose stone and all three raiders' heads shot up. I froze.

"What in tartarus was that?" said the yellow earth mare. Her multicolored mane was done in tall spikes.

The raiders began to get up, "Come on, show yourself," said the bigger stallion. He was a white unicorn, part of his messy mane covering one eye.

The smaller, snippier stallion stood up, setting down some kind of needle. He was very jittery as he turned in different directions, looking for me. "Ima kill ya, just come on out," he smiled creepily, his nasally voice making it that much worse.

I had to do this. I wanted to show the Guardian that I could. I tried activating SATS like I'd done in the past, and this time I got lucky and it actually worked. My vision zoomed in on the taller stallion, and I decided to aim for his face. I just wanted this over with quickly…

I didn't miss. I was close enough that it was spot on. The stallion's head exploded into a shower of blood, bits of brain and pieces of skull. I had not expected that, and I thought I might be sick. But I had to press on. He wasn't the first raider I'd ever killed.

The mare snapped around, smiling sadistically as she spotted me. I gasped and quickly activated SATS again. I shot at her, having to waste three bullets before she finally went down. I don't think she was dead though.

"Big mistake!" said Weasel behind me. I turned to find him swinging a large object at me.

I ducked away, trying not to get hit. I stepped back into the mare, who I saw had a ham radio with a comm attachment. She was talking into it. When she saw me, she grabbed my hoof and knocked me down. Weasel loomed over me, holding onto a bat. He had a wicked smile on his face, and he prepared to swing it. _Oh Celestia!_ I squeezed my eyes shut tight.

Shots rang out overhead, and I realized the Guardian had come to my rescue. Opening my eyes, I saw Weasel slump over. I stuck my tongue out at him. "Puppydog, get out of there!" shouted the Guardian.

"Hey there filly," came a familiar voice. I looked up to see the three stallions that had terrorized me just before I'd made it into the Fort. The leader gestured toward where he knew the Guardian was, and his partners began shooting at the spot.

"No!" I yelled, but before I could do anything, the lead stallion pounced on me.

"Keep him busy, I'll take care of this one!" he called over his shoulder. Next thing I knew, my attacker was swinging a hoof, which smashed into my face. I saw my own blood splurt, then I blacked out.

* * *

When I awoke I realized I was being dragged by my tail, and it really hurt. I also realized my snout and lips were wet and when I licked them, I tasted the coppery taste of blood. I blinked my eyes, seeing the trail that had been made in the dust on the street from me having been dragged through it. I looked around, completely startled and scared for my life.

"Guardian?" I called out weakly, then louder, "Guardian!" I began breathing really hard, my heart pounding like a beast trying to escape my chest.

"He isn't here little filly." I looked over my shoulder at the light green stallion dragging me through the debris. I saw his friends with him.

"What did you do to him?!" I yelled.

"Nothing much, but you won't be seeing him for a long time. Mane, I've waited for the day," the raider chuckled.

I began thrashing, trying to break free. But one of the other stallions came over and jabbed something into my side, jolting me. I spasmed violently. "Stop trying, it won't get you anywhere." he whispered into my ear. Then he spat in my face. I whimpered, unable to wipe the nasty glob away.

"Hey filly, I'm excited! We'll get to see just who you are under that little outfit of yours. Pretty soon, just you wait." said the one with my tail in his mouth.

"You're hurting me!" I moaned.

"Boo hoo. Hey, are you as excited as me? I hope you are!" all three of them laughed at the cruel joke. Of course I wasn't excited. I was scared witless. I had no idea what to do, and didn't think I'd be able to overpower my captors, especially not without my weapons.

There was one time I could think of I remembered ever feeling so vulnerable. I don't know why this reminded me of it all of a sudden. I was getting flashbacks, not knowing where they came from. Why they were coming so violently. My head throbbed, and I remembered Tide.

* * *

 _When we woke up in the morning the mare looked upset about something. I felt refreshed and happy after the good night's sleep. Her bed was way more comfortable than mine, and it had been nice to cuddle with her. She was sweet and gentle with me._

 _She paced the front room. Back and forth, back and forth. My eyes followed her, but I couldn't decipher why she was doing that. She had to be thinking hard about something, but I guess everypony had their ways of thinking. I trotted down to her._

 _"Hey, what's up?" I asked perkily._

 _There came a knock on the door, and the intercom buzzed, "Hey, open up, it's my turn, and colt am I looking forward to it." why did that voice sound familiar?_

 _"Celestia," the mare whispered harshly, spitting out a curse. She glanced at me, looking worried, then she sighed, shook her head and went to the door. "Good morning Tide." she said after the door slid open._

 _Tide smiled widely, malice in her eyes, "Mornin'. How's my colt?"_

 ** _(Chapter 11 set for 4/18/17 3:00am CT_**

 _Wow, double digits! We're done with Chapter 10 here! Lot's of stuff just got intense too...Looking at this chapter, I'm happy with it. It's about 12 pages on a document, so wow! Too bad FanFiction only has a set font. I can't use Caveat for the chapter titles and flashback scenes like I do in my Google Docs. It adds another layer to it._

 _What'd you think of the raiders, and Tide? Who knows where this is gonna go, but remember what they said to Orange previously? Oh...Tide is gonna show Orange some toys and the raiders wanna see his gender. Whelp, hang in there k? XD_

 _What'd you guys think of Pumpkin in this chapter? I LOVE her! I hope you enjoy her random nature as much as I do. I was kinda debating on whether or not I'd also give her the 4th wall trait that Pinkie has. Would that be too weird? Idk, you tell me, it would be interesting though. Haha! Love ya and see ya soon!)_

 **Brohoof! /)**


	12. Chapter 11 Show Stopper

**Chapter 11** Show Stopper

 _ **(Disclaimer:** I didn't like having to do this, but for the sake of keeping the quality of story telling the same **this scene contains mature content.** That means there's a sexual theme that does not fall under a T rating. If that bothers you, skip down past this flashback scene. I assure you, the overall story will remain T rated, it's just I found it very difficult to maintain my style of writing and keep the scene between Tide and Orange appropriate for a T rating.)_

 **Silk Tidings**

 _I cantered out into the hall. If Tide had queued me, I might as well accept it. She had warned me, so it wasn't like I should be surprised. So I pretended like I wasn't bothered. But I was. I put a smile on my face, like I always did. I wouldn't let it show, because that wasn't who I was._

 _I heard the pink mare stop Tide and say, "Just…just be careful with him. He's, how do you say? Different. Okay?"_

 _Tide guffawed, "Ha! Gotcha! And don't you worry 'bout a thing."_

 _"I'll try not to. Okay, you have…a good time," her voice was strained. "I have to get to work." she headed off down the side hall._

 _Tide glanced at me with a smile. "Come on, colt, Tide is gonna take good care of ya!" she led me off down the main tunnel._

 _Her room was a standard room. Yet she seemed overjoyed when she trotted over to the closet, leaving me to wonder and worry. I would say I could only imagine what she had in store for me this morning, but I'd be so far off that there wasn't any point._

 _"Do you remember, little colt? I promised I'd show you much better toys than the ones you've ever played with. I never fall back on a promise."_

 _"What kind of toys?"_

 _Tide winked, then opened the door to her closet. "Just wait over on the bed for me, I have a few things to prepare. You'll get ready too, won't you?" I knew what she meant._

 _She was gone for only a few short minutes. Too short. I was nervous, and I worked up a sweat. "Oh, you've already gotten all hot and bothered for me!" Tide exclaimed._

 _She had strapped something on around her waist, a thingie hanging between her legs that made me cringe. "What's that?"_

 _She climbed up to position herself above me, causing me to fall to my back. "A toy. I think we're going to have fun."_

 _I gulped. Then she lowered her face, kissing me. My instincts kicked in, instincts that had been trained into me. I relaxed and let her kiss me. She snaked her tongue through my unrelenting lips. Stallions were here to please the mares. I wasn't allowed to resist._

 _The thing she had on rubbed against my belly in a strange way. It was different, I wasn't used to feeling something like that from a mare. "Are you aroused as much as I am?" Tide whispered silk tidings to me._

 _This was one time where I was really confused. Usually when the mares did this with me, it was sweet, and it came easily to me. But this time, I felt too nervous to get turned on. "Hmm," Tide tilted her head. "Well, I have ways…" she stuck a hoof down, groping at me._

 _"Hey!" I gasped. It felt different. I couldn't tell if it was good or bad, but now what was supposed to happen did, my shaft getting harder by the second as she massaged it. I moaned, closing my eyes._

 _"Mmm," Tide murmured. "That's right…"_

 _I leaned my head back against the blankets on the bed, my tongue hanging out. This was different, and I think in a good way. I knew it was turning me on. Maybe I'd tell other mares to do it. Would they be okay with that?_

 _"Has anypony ever done this, I wonder?" she asked out loud to herself, then brought her mouth down. My eyes widened at what she was doing. NO! No mare had ever done that! She was sucking on it like it was a lollipop and she was sucking hard. Her tongue ran around it carefully, licking every inch and along the tip. My hips thrust forward against my will, shoving against the back of her throat. Tide came up, spluttering. I almost thought she was angry, but then she laughed. "Feisty there, ain't ya? I like it. Do that some more." then she went right back down._

 _It was wet now, and I kept doing what I was told. We were servants to the mares, I was a slave to my mistress's whim. My shaft throbbed hard, spurting sticky milk into Tide's mouth. She licked her lips when it was done. "That was good. The younger they are, the more there is. Now then, your turn." she leaned to the side, toward the nightstand. From it she grabbed a bottle. I didn't know what it was, I'd never seen it before. I'd never seen a mare use something like it when I'd serviced them._

 _She spread whatever it was around on her hooves, then applied it to the thing around her waist. Then she smiled. "What're you waiting for? It's time for the real fun to begin. Roll over."_

 _My mouth dropped open. It was bad enough being able to see her. She scared me a lot. But now she wanted me on my stomach? I wouldn't be able to see what was happening. And since when was it me that was subject like this? It was almost like she was servicing me, but I think she got quite a bit more enjoyment from it than I did._

 _I did what she told me, rolling to my belly. It hurt to have my thing pressed under me like this when it was so hard, but I had to do what Tide said. She grabbed my tail, moving it to the side. "What are you gonna do?"_

 _"Play with my toy." then she commenced to do exactly what she said, pushing against me._

 _It hurt a lot at first and I yelped and screamed like a mare. It was like she was ripping me, pushing into and invading me. I had never realized this was something that could happen. But I knew where the thing she was wearing was going and I didn't know if I liked the way it felt. Not until my back end slowly relaxed and then it started to feel nice, but tears streamed down my face. I hated it, no matter what it felt like. My cheeks were hot and tears streamed down my face._

 _Tide grunted and gasped, pushing then pulling over and over again. "Tight," she muttered to herself. I whinnied and brayed fervently as she pounded me with her toy. It hurt, but at the same time it felt good, and I found myself feeling pleasure._

 _It was over when she was satisfied. I had made a mess beneath myself, and both her bedsheets and my belly needed cleaning. It was sticky and white. She went to put away her toy, and I remained where I was, spent. I couldn't make myself move. It was worse than when she'd whipped me and left me in pain on the floor. Nothing could make this right. Now I was just hurt and broken on her bed._

 _"What are you still doing there? We're done. Get up and clean yourself off with this. I have to bring you back to your cell!" she tossed a rag at me._

 _Gradually, I picked myself up, wiping away the sticky mess. I hated her eyes on me, watching greedily. I hoped she never queued me again._

* * *

"I want that armor off 'im. And tie 'im up." the lead pony was giving orders. I discovered his name was Combat Zone, a gray earth stallion with a neon yellow and black mane and tail. The other two stallions with him were Tip and Rig, both unicorns, the first yellow the other green. Tip and Rig were kinda stupid. I'd told them so, sticking out my tongue at the two bumbling stallions. They had dragged me into a large warehouse, opening the garage doors on the side of the building by way of terminal. Inside a fortress was set up.

The mares that had battled the Guardian outside the Fort a week ago were here too. How had they escaped him? They jeered at me. All I saw were rotting teeth, some ponies with lots missing, all spread wide in harsh laughter. They knew they had me caught, that I was a fish in their net. I saw somepony toss a thick rope to Combat Zone, and he turned to me with a sadistic smile.

"You know why none of those caravans come round here nowadays?" he asked. I stuck my tongue out at him, refusing to answer.

He hit me, and the watching raiders roared at the show of force. It was their source of entertainment, wasn't it, to watch their leader bully helpless colts like me. Except, they didn't even know that I _was_ a colt. They kept calling me filly.

" _Little scared filly, come out to play with me,_

 _Bring your playtoys three,_

 _Climb up the apple tree._

 _Shout down the rain well,_

 _Slide down our cellar door,_

 _And we'll string you up,_

 _Forever more, more, more!"_

I heard a couple of the mares singing as I was dragged past them. They looked older, elderly and withered, with white streaks in their manes. My lip began to quiver at their quips. It stung. Why were they making a hurtful song about me? I was helpless and they knew it.

They strung me up to a pillar with a large black surface attached to it. Not only that, but they put me upside down! The whole world was flipped. Whoa, they're standing on the ceiling! I began giggling.

Upside down Combat Zone flicked out a knife, the blade gleaming silver. "Shut 'im up, he's starting to piss me off." I shut up right quick when I saw that blade come toward me. Then Combat Zone waved a hoof. The knife stopped, but it continued to flash back and forth.

"I wanna see a show of hooves from my wonderful raiders!" he yelled. Jabbing a hoof back and hitting my stomach hard, he called, "Which of you think this little pony is a colt?" he'd just knocked the wind out of me, and I was trying to catch my breath.

There was one hoof in the air that voted colt for me. Yay! I had one supporter, that's exciting! I was smiling like the huge buffoon that I knew I was. But that's okay. "Oof!" he jabbed me in the tummy again. "Who votes filly?"

"She's got a thicc booty!" one mare yelled.

"Look at 'er long pretty mane!" a stallion shouted.

"I don't care either way, give it to me," said a another stallion, licking his lips and eying me like I was food.

All I knew was that the entire crowd except that one had hooves in the air. They all thought I was a girl. That didn't inspire much confidence. Combat Zone turned to me, his snout right up next to mine, "Ready to play a game?" his breath tickled my nose. He bumped his lips against mine just slightly, then he backed away and gestured to the stallion with the knife.

My heart began racing as the knife moved toward me. I tried squirming away, but it was no use. It only made my head spin as the blood caught up to my head. My face was awash in heated color. "Don't try squirming, little one," said Combat Zone, "That knife of his may slip if you aren't careful." I got the feeling he didn't care either way if it did slip.

I stopped struggling against my bindings, and just focused on breathing. I looked down—or rather up—at my tummy as it went in out in out. Then to my utter horror the knife found its why to my breathing tummy. It cut into the fabric of the combat armor, ripping it open. I was watching as the outfit was cut open and then as the pony grabbed at it with his hooves.

I began laughing, "Hehe, that tickles!" his hooves rubbed my belly. He grunted at me.

Shifting back and forth between knife and hoof, the clothes were removed. I was naked again. I stared at myself, almost forgetting what I'd see. Yep, I was a colt, big surprise, there was a thingie between my legs! Hehe! I lowered my head back to a resting position, blowing raspberries at the big mean stallion. He was staring at my thingie, cheeks red.

"Buck that! Why are you so attractive if you aren't a filly?" he screamed.

"Attractive?" I asked him, looking at him sideways.

"Everypony out, get the buck out or I'll shoot somepony." he was waving a big pistol around. He was not happy, but his cheeks were still blushed a bright red.

His mob ran for a set of doors at the back of the warehouse, where there must've been an entrance to more of their hideout. I was wiggling again, trying to break free. This was fun and all, but my head was starting to hurt.

Combat Zone stepped forward, his cronies flanking him like they always did. "Hi Riggy and Tipster!" I called to them like they were long time friends. I honestly was kinda fond of them. They weren't as mean as Combat here. They looked at me with confused expressions, unsure how to react to my playfulness.

Combat took hold of the board attached to the pillar, pulling down. It spun around really fast. "Whoa-oh-ah-oh-ooooooooh!" my head was all twirly, my eyes spinning round and round. I didn't know this thing moved! When it stopped, I was upright, staring down at the gray stallion that held me captive.

He jumped up onto his hind legs, planting his front hooves to either side of me. His face was still a couple inches below mine, but he stared up into my eyes all the same. "What is it about you? I had my gang all aroused for your arrival, and here we find a disappointment."

"I dunno," I looked up and all around, then back down at him.

"I guess I should've known. Any pony that's ever come out of that Stable has been male. Why is that I've always wanted to know."

"Well I came out because I was told to," I tried to shrug, but the ropes pulled tight. Combat got the point.

"We all have a choice." he snapped, angry at me for some reason. Or maybe he was angry at the world.

He paused, looking lost in thought. Then he did the unthinkable. He touched me in a place I didn't wanna be touched. "Cut it off. I wanted a filly." said Combat. Tip and Rig began giggling uncontrollably as Combat walked away.

"I don't wanna be a filly!" I began thrashing. The raiders got closer and closer to me. All this effort was exhausting me, and with all the blood draining to my face, I felt overheated. Slowly, the world faded, and I checked out. "Nighty night," I muttered.

* * *

Shouting…Gunfire…

My stomach heaved and I felt like I was flying. I imagined that I was, a pair of wings on my back. Not too big, just the right size for me. The sky was my haven and I rode the clouds. It was short lived though when I crashed downward, and when I opened my eyes, I found myself on the floor.

It took me a second to remember where I was. At first I was scared. I lifted my head, glancing around. What were those creepy objects hanging from the ceiling? They kinda looked like ponies. I gagged. Then I remembered I was in a raider den. When I was able to refocus, I realized there was some kind of battle going on.

Was it ponies from the Fort? I tried to figure out who was fighting who, but it was complete chaos. I just had to get out! I got up, swaying and a little disoriented. I blinked, trying to recover quickly. I was defenseless, so I needed to run away before something bad happened to me. I saw the open door and made a break for it. I went unnoticed.

Outside, the sun was high in the sky. There was more shooting out here, but not as much and it wasn't near me. I was in a small narrow side alley, and looking back and forth, I decided to go left. I went at the fastest gallop I could manage, not wanting to be caught again. I'd had enough adventure for one day.

Now all I could think about was the Guardian. I had to find him. I had to know what those big old meanies had done to him. I ran, getting echoes of the past as bullets pinged around me. It was like escaping from the Stable all over again. But I must've been the luckiest pony in Equestria, because not a single one hit me.

"Guardian!" I yelled as I ran out of the combat zone. (Ohhh, I get it now). I was lost and scared, searching for my protector. "Guardian! Guardian, where are you?!" I called down every alley I ran past. I had no idea where I was going. All I saw were skyscrapers on every side of me. Those hooves reaching up now looked like bones. Their infrastructure showed all broken and deprived. I was lost in a ghost town full of malice.

I reached a railing that looked over a large section of a downtown area. The buildings down there were smaller, looking like cute little store fronts. I found a ramp that went down into a little park. The rest of the buildings got taller as I went lower. "Bye bye," I told them.

The trees were barren of leaves. The grass was brown and dry, crunching under my hooves. I trotted along, feeling at ease now that the sounds of gunfire were long behind me. I was naked and weaponless, but at least I was safe.

Cantering along the street, I checked every shop window. Lots were broken and most shops seemed empty and desolate. But a few windows were in good repair. I saw the reflection of myself, noticing the braid was coming undone. I'd have to ask Pumpkin about that later. I stopped, checking myself out. Same old me. A cute round baby fat belly, curvy, and a round bootay. Somepony had called it "thicc". What was that, I wondered. I could see how I looked like a girl. I didn't care, and Pumpkin had said it doesn't matter. It wasn't any of their concern.

"Hmph," I stamped a hoof in defiance. I was gonna be just who I was without them acting like it was bad.

I lifted the leg with the Pip-Buck, switching it over to the map. I was super far away from the Fort. I was on the whole other side of Bittsberg! That raider warehouse was labeled as Combat Zone. Fitting.

Sighing, I moved over to the Data tab, about to tap the radio, when I heard the click of a gun. I stiffened, staring straight ahead and lowering my hoof. I was caught, and I don't know if I'd get a second chance…

"What the buck? I'm always seeing you. You here for more loot? Kuz it's kinda ridiculous." I heard a familiar stallion's voice. I remembered the gas station, and the back room area he'd been trying to hack a terminal in. "Turn around colt."

Hey! He said colt! I jumped around, beaming, "That's right, I'm a colt!" I was super excited that he'd said that. I was also right, it was the white stallion from the gas station, his mane with red, gray and black. He wore light pleather armor that only covered him from behind his shoulders back.

"Calm down, what's with you? I have a gun to your head!" He jostled the weapon. I stared at the barrel.

"Ohh!" I nodded dazedly, not taking my eyes off the gun.

"You really are oblivious, aren't you?" he lowered the gun. I liked the little round bullet chamber. My eyes followed his hoof. "You weren't lying to me back in that gas station were you?"

"Lying to you about what?" I cocked my head.

"Nothing. You really aren't here for my find?" he began moving toward one of the storefronts, talking to me over his shoulder.

"What's there to find?" I felt completely dumb and in the dark. Was I supposed to know what he was talking about?

He smiled at me regardless. "How about you follow me and I'll show ya?"

"Okay!" I bounded after him. I think I was a bit more enthusiastic than he was used to because he smiled and chuckled like he didn't know what to do with me.

We stopped in front of a cute little store that had a purple and white striped awning. Through the grime smeared heavily on the window fronts, the silhouettes of what looked like ponies on sticks could be distinctly seen. Lots of them were wearing what appeared to be clothing, dresses it seemed like. I got excited as my Pip-Buck made that recognizable cha-ching sound telling me I discovered a new location.

You have discovered

BITTSBERG CAROUSEL BOUTIQUE

My Pip-Buck told me in the corner of my EFS. I was excited to go in and see what this place had in store. Next to the other shops, the boutique didn't look as badly damaged, and that was kinda wondrous to me. See, I knew Bittsberg was a treasure trove!

The stallion had stopped and was examining the glass door to the boutique. "It's locked tight with a bundle of spells I don't understand. Especially since I'm not a unicorn." he said, prodding at the door.

"What are you trying to figure out?" I stepped forward. Suddenly my horn began tingling. "Oh!" I poked at it.

"What's wrong there?" said the stallion.

The closer I got to the store, the more tingley my horn got. It even started glowing on its own! "I think I can feel the magic." I mumbled and went to the door. Tapping my horn against the glass, a light burst forth. It all collected and smashed into me. Then I was thrown back.

"Hot damn!" whooped the stallion.

I blinked. My horn was warm and the sensitive appendage throbbed. "Whoa," I breathed.

"Door's unlocked! You did it." a bell tinkled as he opened the door and went in. I have no clue _how_ I did it.

Inside, I saw clothes were lined up on racks, dresses of glamorous designs and colors filling the spaces like a brushstroke of the rainbow. This couldn't be seen from the outside because the windows were so dirty. But it was like stepping into a whole new world.

"Why's this place so…" my voice trailed off as I looked for the right words.

"Well preserved?" supplied the stallion.

"I guess, yeah…" I stared around in admiration.

"Beats me. My best bet is the Ministry of Image hid something special here. That's why I came."

"To find treasure?" I asked politely.

"Exactly!"

"What do you think you'll find?" I inquired. He turned around to face me, his eyes having a faraway look. He looked distracted.

"We could split the treasure…" he offered in a small voice.

"Don't be sad!" I ran forward, looking up into his eyes and trying my best to make him be happy.

"I'm not sad," he scoffed, brushing it off easily.

"Yes huh!" I insisted.

He sighed, "It's just…I've been alone for so long. I didn't even consider there could be somepony to share it with." he sat down in the dust, staring off in the distance. I think he had a lot on his mind. I sat and decided to be patient, because I didn't want him to be upset. So together, we sat in a serene silence. That's when he finally took a deep breath, and began talking…

 _ **(Chapter 12 set for 4/19/17 11:00am CT**_

 _Oh boy. Other than the difficulties I had with Silk Tidings, I actually really enjoyed this chapter. Orange, you are way too adorable for your own good XD Despite your situation with the raiders, you are still so oblivious. He only really begins to realize it when they threaten to cut his penis off (yes I said penis, get over it, it's a medical term and it's anatomically correct. Lol). You guys like my raider rendition of Say Say oh Playmate up there? Lol, it's a cute little nursery rhyme that can be totally creepy if used the right way, but can't that be said for any nursery rhyme? Hey, by the way, can anypony wait to see what I do with this new character? I gots plans ladies and gentlecolts, so look forward to some more of him in chapters to come! Kk, love ya, thanks for bearing with me there XD)_

 **Brohoof! /)**


	13. Chapter 12 Ravaged World

**Chapter 12** Ravaged World

Ravager Blitzfire

 _Peace? That was just a lie fed to us by a cruel and vindictive society. Anypony could see that if you just took a look at the Stables. For me, it all started with mine._

 _I'd been shown the Stable-Tech documents. I'd heard the recordings. They had hoofed over a job I'd never asked for. All for what? A war blasted ruin? I had to admit, none of it was what I was expecting when I took the position._

 _I said took, I really had no choice. Well, at least as Overstallion I got to bring anypony along that I wanted. My best friend came with me. I wanted to bucking save him Celestia dammit! That was an unfortunate oversight on my part. I failed one of the only ponies I cared about._

 _It seemed all well and good. The only problem was I was sworn to secrecy under Stable-Tech contract. Yeah, yeah, like the blasted recording from Scootaloo said, the HQ was probably already long since reduced to rubble. But a corporation like that, even more powerful than our own government, breaking down the walls of society and getting in your head? Well, you just didn't have a choice. I feel foalish to admit it, but I was one of the idiots who fell for their propaganda, and I was one of their Overseers!_

 _Anyway, Nexus Spark and I, we headed into our nice new stable. Wonderful Stable 14, where together we would build a more "stable" society. At least, that's what the Morale posters said. I knew better. But I didn't bucking say anything. I was a coward. I should've told him! We could've done something. I could've hidden him somewhere in the Stable, gotten him a transfer to somewhere safer. Yet, I dragged him down the rabbit hole with me._

 _Yes, the icky part. Stable 14 was built to bring a group of specially selected ponies into a new world. It was more than a social experiment. I call it a social nightmare. When the ponies realized exactly what was happening, it was chaos. They lashed out. In self defense and a show of force under Stable-Tech law, my security team killed half of the civilian population before any of them even made it into the main stable._

 _Luckily by then, Nexus had already gone. Gone where, may you ask? Specially designed cryogenic stasis pods, the best our arcane science could offer. I bet the budget for those babies were off the charts! I couldn't imagine Twilight had much of a field day over it. Especially not when her money needed to be spent on the war effort._

 _Nexus, oh my poor, poor Sparky. He thought he was getting a position as my Head of Maintenance. Instead he got a position in my display case…He was actually the first to be frozen, imagine that. Imagine the plain old irony of that._

 _Then…it was my turn._

 _"Buck this! Who do you think you are? I'm your bucking boss!" I attempted to struggle. Nowhere in those pamphlets had it mentioned I was getting stuffed in my own personal coffin. "Unhoof me!" but there was nothing for it._

 _I woke up, Celestia knows how many years later. Not because the programming in the pod activated the awakening sequence. No, it was too early for that, that much was too clear. Painfully obvious as the fact that the lights in the Stable were out. My pod only lasted this long because the Overstallion's office had a separate generator._

 _My biggest shock was why my pod had deactivated. Like a baby chick opening its eyes for the first time and looking upon its mama, my first sight as I blinked groggily was my best friend. I began to smile, but I finally realized, he had a revolver pointed at my head._

 _"S-Sparky, let's be rational here. Why do you have that gun?" I chuckled nervously._

 _"You did this to them. You did this to all of them." I saw the sparkling tears in his radiant green eyes._

 _"I didn't, Sparky, you know that!" I protested. It fell on empty ears._

 _"I read the documents in your safe. You knew long before anypony else did. You let them put me in that thing! How could you Blitzy?"_

 _I shook my head, "I didn't have a choice! Please understand."_

 _"You were my friend. Just look what you've done. Come on, come look," he waved the gun, indicating I should get out of my pod now._

 _Carefully, I stepped down to the floor. I wobbled a bit, shaky, but it was good to be out of there. Well, as good as it could be when your lifelong friend was waving a .44 magnum at you. He gestured me onward, "Come on," he said. Shakily, I stumbled after him. I dreaded what he would show me._

 _I was right to dread. Inside the stasis bay, row upon row of pods had deactivated due to loss of power, never having started their awakening sequences. And the outcome? Death to anypony who had been frozen and left helpless. I could've done something, yet I let my Stable come to this. Why give it to me at all? I hadn't overseen anything. At least, not anything good. But here was death, row upon row of rotting corpses in their unplugged refrigerators._

 _Some had lost power earlier than others, and in those, I found skeletons. Others seemed more recent, and there were flesh and blood corpses, some pods even washed in splatters of the crimson liquid. Those ponies must've thawed in a sudden flash, and that had fried them._

 _I gagged at the sight of the blood. It was my first taste of the gore I'd get from the wasteland. And yes, Stable 14 had become part of the waste with nopony to watch over her._

 _"You see now?" Nexus asked again after I had had my fill._

 _"Nex, I didn't…I'm sorry…" I didn't know what to say._

 _"Don't," he snapped. "There are ponies dead because of you." the gun was shoved against my head._

 _I shut my eyes. I deserved this. There was only one thing bugging me. "I just wanted to ask, why didn't your pod fail? You're awake Nex."_

 _He sighed heavily, lowering the gun once again. "Come see then, Blitz. Come see what you put your people through."_

 _He led me to the Maintenance Wing of the Stable, where his pod was located along with his staff, dead in their own pods. The same sights were seen here, blood spattered inside the glass housings, skeletons in others. But I hadn't noticed some pods were open. I realized it had been like that out in the bay too._

 _"Are their more ponies out here? Awake?" I hadn't known just how much my voice trembled. I was laden with guilt._

 _"Ha, no!" he opened a door, and inside was a crypt. A number of dead bodies had been brought here, their final resting place._

 _I took a couple harrowing steps back, horrified and gagging. I tasted bile rising in the back of my throat, "Did you bring them here?" I choked out._

 _"Of course I did! I couldn't leave them rotting. I had to have the common decency to bring them somewhere that wasn't out in the open where they'd all left themselves." Nexus spat. He was disgusted with me._

 _"What happened to them?" I asked._

 _"They killed themselves. They couldn't bear the pain of what they saw in those pods." he told me. He was shaking his head. "But I had to stay alive, if only to avenge the ones who died."_

 _"What are you gonna do?" I asked. He raised the gun again, his aim steady. I didn't doubt him. My friend was always true to his word, and I saw the hatred that burned in his eyes._

 _Yes I was guilty, and yes I felt that I deserved to be put down. I was filth, just as bad as Stable-Tech. But, unsurprisingly, I was selfish. I didn't want to lose my friend. So I did the only thing I could. I tried to talk him down._

 _"Nexus, you know me, I didn't do any of this on purpose. I didn't even know they were putting me in a pod. I would've done everything to keep these ponies alive if I had known."_

 _"Buck off, Blitz. You could've warned us, you could've told me. We could've stopped this tragedy from happening, together, just like we always did. We were together and better for it. But you lied to me, kept a huge secret from me. I hated you the moment I was taken from my office and forced into that forsaken pod. This isn't what society is supposed to be. This stable is a prison."_

 _I hung my head. "All the stables are prisons."_

 _"What the buck does that mean?"_

 _I told him. He deserved to know what I knew. "None of them were meant to be normal. Stable-Tech wouldn't allow the rise of the same society that brought about the war in the first place."_

 _"Why the fuck would you work for a company that had that sort of goal in mind! That's twisted, that's fucking_ sadistic _!"_

 _"I didn't have a choice! I wanted to save you, I wanted to save us!" and out of a huge change of heart, I lunged at my best friend. I tried to grab the gun, grappling with him. He growled and spat, but I couldn't wrestle the thing from him. He was determined._

 _He threw me off him. I stood and backed away, stepping from the room. The gun was aimed at my head. My eyes widened. "This won't get you anywhere Nexus. Please just listen to me!"_

 _"I'm done listening." I ducked away as he began taking shots, bullets ringing out through the air. As soon as I was outside the room, I bucked at the wall, my back hooves hitting the control panel. The door slid shut and the panel was destroyed from the force of the kick. That door wouldn't be opening any time soon._

 _"I won't let it end like this Blitz!" I heard my friend's scream. My heart shattered just like the peace that had been promised to us all…_

* * *

Orange Juice

I sat there in dull silence, not sure how to respond to the story Blitz had just told me. Finally, I had to break the silence, my yearning heart was just too curious. "So, where is Sparky?"

"Nexus?" Blitzfire asked. Then he shook his head. "Who the buck knows, he's probably out in the wasteland somewhere. He's probably looking for me. He always did, even before the war."

"That's so sad!" I gasped.

"Yeah well, hasn't anypony told you friendship never changes?"

"But he hates you now," I pointed out.

Blitz chuckled, "And yet he still wants to find me. I've always hoped I'd one day find him again so we can make up. That doesn't mean I'm not guilty though." he added when he caught me smiling.

"Whaaat? It's just so sweet that you want him to be happy again!" I pouted.

Blitz got up, "Yeah well, I'll just keep doing what I've always done until then."

"What's that?"

"I'll keep following these maps I found in my Overstallion safe. Stable-Tech hid secret caches extensively throughout Equestria."

"Hey, wait a second! You won't do what you always did!" I jumped up with a gleeful shout.

"And why's that?"

"Because, you have me, Orange Juice, to do it with you." I was so so happy to see that put a smile on Blitz's face. My heart was all warm and fuzzy now.

"Yeah, I do, don't I?"

* * *

"So what do you think we're gonna find?" I yipped as Blitz was sorting through documents filed away in the Boutique's back room.

"I think Rarity specially designed outfitting for the Shadowbolts, a line meant to aid them in the war effort. But the armor never made production lines by the time the megaspells dropped." Blitz muttered through a mouthful of papers. They were old things, aging and withering away to nothing, even in their filing cabinets.

"Why are those so important?" I asked him.

"I'm trying to see if there are any notes or clues pointing to where the hell she hid them in this store." He spat out the papers in his mouth and they spewed to the ground like a huge flock of birds coming in for a crash landing. That idea was funny to me, imagining a bunch of birdies tumbling over one another.

I turned around to try to help look in a different spot. There were dresses everywhere, covered in lots of dust. It made me want to sneeze…"Ah…" I opened my muzzle.

"Orange?" Blitz turned to me. I was hidden away within the forest of fabric. He didn't know where I was.

"Ah…" oh Celestia, I felt it building up. My sneezes were big and loud. " _Achoo!_ " I roared, and falling backward, I smashed into a few of the clothing racks.

"O.J. are you okay?" Blitz came toward me. "Oh my gosh!" he gasped, but he wasn't staring at me. "You found it, look, you found it!"

"What, what did I find?" I looked around, blinking in confusion.

A metal door was set into the wall and floor, a hatch that lifted vertically if opened. It had been carefully hidden by all these clothes. Nopony would ever have thought to look back here. How was I always stumbling on these things so easily?

Blitz took a shotgun off his back. It was huge and my eyes widened at the thing. "Here, you'll probably need it. And seeing as you don't have anything on you, which I'd say is pretty stupid, I'd take it."

"Really, you're gonna give it to me?" I was surprised. The first time I'd met the stallion, he'd demanded I hoof over my weapons. Here he was handing one of his to me willingly!

"I think I can trust ya. Besides, Stable-Tech doesn't play games. There are probably traps and crap down there." he jostled the gun, insisting I take it. So I grabbed it with my turquoise colored magic, and he nodded. "Let's go."

 _ **(Chapter 13 set for 4/24/17 3:00pm CT**_

 _Wow, a chapter within one day of the previous chapter? Lol! This chapter is much shorter, to be honest, but the majority of it was backstory for Blitzfire. I debated whether or not I wanted to go into it as extensively as I did, but I decided, why the buck not? XD and now we'll probably get a sort of adventure here with OJ and Blitzy. Yas! I'm going to enjoy the next few chapters. It's a little deviation, but that's okay. What'd you guys think? Fallout 4 backstory much?! Well, duh :P_

 _Love ya!)_

 **Brohoof! /)**


	14. Chapter 13 Stealth Mode

**Chapter 13** Stealth Mode

Blitz was keeping himself low, and he was very cautious. He told me to be quiet a few times. There could be dangerous enemies down here. I didn't want to alert them to our presence, he told me.

Lights were low here, the power at a minimum. Some of the lights were blinking like they were about to go out. I was scared of the dark, and what could be lurking in it, so I hoped they wouldn't go out. Blitz didn't seem worried about anything.

"You know you can turn on the lamp on your Pip-Buck, right?"

It was a good point.

The air was hard to breath. It was stale, and made my throat stiff. It also smelled weird and musty. I wrinkled my nose.

Ok, I had to be light on my feet. Quick one two step, keeping low like a panther. I'm on the prowl, and Ima show those baddies who's boss. I wouldn't be scared. I was gonna be tough, like the Guardian and like Blitz. This pony seemed ready for anything, and I was going to be ready with him.

My tongue was sticking out between my lips as I concentrated on playing tough. I felt silly but cool at the same time. Then there came a clittering over the metal of the floor, the noise echoing all around. I squealed like a filly, jumping like two feet in the air. I came back down, trembling.

"Heheh, just a little Rad-Roach. Ain't nothing to be afraid of, they're easy to kill." Blitz winked at me.

"Oh, phew." I sighed in relief up at the ceiling.

The creature that clicked its little hard shelled feetsies out here had six legs. It was at least half the size of Blitz, and he was taller than me! Its main body was black, but it had hard brown casings over its silk-like wings. Its tiny black head swiveled as it tried to focus on us. At the same time it was gross, it was also kinda cute.

"They're harmless most of the time, unless they're hungry or provoked. Then they'll eat anything." Blitz informed me.

"Anything?"

"Absolutely anything." He said slowly in small tones, like the thought disgusted him. If by anything, I assumed he also meant ponies. Eww!

Blitz lifted a gun from his back that was longer and had a curved ammo cartridge. "This gun is called an assault rifle, if you didn't know."

"Thanks!" I smiled brightly. Immediately, the playful expression dropped when Blitzfire pumped a load of bullets into the creature, rendering it bloody and dead.

When he saw my open mouthed look, he came over to me and put a hoof under my chin. "Best not to take chances." he closed my mouth.

I licked my lips as the stallion turned away. "Right…" I trotted along after him. I stepped around the splattered mess that used to be a Rad-Roach. I stuck my tongue out, blanching and holding back breakfast. That's when I realized I hadn't eaten lunch. My stomach growled.

"Um…Blitzy?" I groaned.

"Hmm?" he didn't turn to look at me.

"I'm hungry," I complained.

"It isn't like we can stop and—" as we turned the corner we came across a small entryway to a cafe. One opening was covered by a grated gate that was pulled down and locked in place. But the other entrance was opened. Inside were little circular cafe tables, some chairs pushed over and on their backs on the floor, other chairs had been shoved aside in a rush and they were all left scattered.

Across from the cafe, running at a parallel, was a little abyss that if one peered into they would find a section of railway tracks that led off into the looming darkness. "Huh. We're in a bucking subway station. Imagine that." Blitz seemed amazed. He was staring up at a big sign in sudden intrigue.

I wandered off into the lonely cafe. It hadn't been visited in a long time, and I bet it was feeling lonely. I waddled on in like I had business here. Next to the counter was a machine that had a coin slot and a big glass dome. It also had a label written across the side in retro style letters, but I could barely understand the words.

I tried sounding it out, "Puh-puh, oh-er…er…et. Pehrt a dih…in-ehr. Put a dinner. That's a funny name." I laughed out loud. I blinked my eyes, my vision straightening again.

I pressed the button on the side of the Put a dinner, not expecting it to do anything. I started when a jolly old tune began playing and the machine whizzed and whirred, a belt like a tongue rolling and along it a plate with a pretty well preserved looking cake sitting on top of it. A fork was next to it.

My eyes sparkled and I gushed when I saw the delight, and I watched as the Put a dinner deposited the food item through a little door and spit it out for me to take. "Cool!" I picked it up in my magic, bringing it to a table.

Sticking the fork in, I brought a bite of cake to my mouth. I licked at it, salivating. It was so sickly sweet, so rich. It was unlike anything I'd ever had before, which didn't account for much. Pocky, oatmeal, pancakes, Dandy Colts, and in the cells, gruel. Yeah, my food culture wasn't up to date. So what did you expect other than for me to gobble it up like a vacuum cleaner? My Pip-Buck crackled angrily the entire time, warning me of +1 RAD/sec as I ate.

Maybe I was greedy, but I wanted more. More food from this cafe, more yummy food in general. This naivety got me into a bit of trouble as soon as I set hoof in the kitchens behind the counter.

More of those roachies were in here, one, two, five…four, yes four to be in fact! Three of them were fighting over something, two with it in their mouths playing tug-of-war, the third butting in occasionally but getting crunched between the two and backing off every time. The fourth raddie was wandering about near the far wall. It was skittering in and out of what looked like…I gagged. It was a pony skeleton, the rib bones its playground.

"Meanie!" I called to it.

The three agitated ones turned in unison at the sound of my discontent voice. They hadn't noticed me until now, but they dropped what they were doing, clicking to each other. I think they were hungry, and whatever was in the can hadn't satisfied them. They wanted to turn me into another rib bone playground!

They skittered toward me on their quick little legs. I lifted my shotgun, trying to aim. My focus was terrible, which meant I wouldn't be using SATS. I fired off two quick bullets, but the shells missed their targets. It also alerted the more oblivious of the group, and he joined the fray. I took quick steps backward, but I ran into the front counter.

With four red tick marks on my EFS after me screaming [DANGER], I had to reload because the gun clicked. That meant Blitz hadn't checked the magazine before giving it to me. These babies could hold 12 bullets per round, I knew. I was screwed.

I didn't have time to reload. Two of the Rad-Roaches lunged for me, and the sting of their bites made me lose the gun. It clattered heavily to the floor. The third jumped me, biting my chest. They backed up a little, preparing to strike again.

I was bleeding, the bright red liquid drizzling down my chest and legs. Droplets tapped the floor acutely. I grunted then yelped when they bit me again, drawing more blood.

"Ow, ow, ow!" I cried. It really hurt, and I slumped down.

I attempted to paw at them, but I couldn't do anything. I was weak. I was giving up. They clawed at me too, gashing my face, across my eye and down my muzzle. My lip was bloody too. They had sharp teeth, and it hurt a lot when they took chunks out of me.

"Leave me alone!" I murmured weakly, but they didn't understand English, because they were bugs.

I wasn't even fighting anymore. Honestly, the pain was fading away. I saw vaguely at the bottom of my EFS was my draining health bar. Who knew it could be measured so accurately. But it could. I could feel it all slipping away. The little tick marks were red now, that looked really bad. Like the blood that soaked my fur. That looked bad too. I wasn't orange anymore.

 _Bam, bam, bam!_ Through my blurry vision, I could see a hoof, and looking up I saw somepony with an assault rifle firing away on single shot. It was over in a matter of seconds, the distant stinging of biting finally coming to a stop. I tried to sit up, blinking, seeing the four dead bugs. Okay, I really didn't like them. It was okay if Blitz shot them, as long as I never got another bug bite again.

I moaned in pain, my injured body protesting against movement. I found a hoof sliding in underneath my head, brushing into my mane on the back of my neck. "Hey, don't try to move little buddy." it was Blitzfire. He was helping me. I tried to smile, but I only coughed blood.

"Here, drink this, it'll help." He held a drink to my lips, tilting my head back so I could sip from it.

It tasted terrible, like it had dirt and other nasty things in it. I spluttered and coughed, choking on the liquid. It splurting from my mouth and all over myself and Blitz. He blinked. It did help though. I saw the tick marks raise up to just under half on the health bar, climbing out of the red zone.

"Shit, O.J. what did you get yourself into?"

"A mess, I think. I do know that the roachies aren't cute anymore." I eyed them. _They're dead,_ I kept telling myself.

"Here, I've got bandages. They'll help you heal." Blitz had to lower me for a second. I grunted painfully. I watched as he took off a saddle bag and set it in front of himself. Then he pulled a roll of white cloth from it.

His hoof went under my back, arching me. I stared into his soft red-violet eyes. He was being so gentle, yet it didn't help ease any pain. I whined as he wrapped the bandages around my torso. In the upper left corner my EFS read Regenerative effect added.

"Let's get you up. There's sure to be plenty of goodies where we're going." Blitz helped me get to my hooves.

"Where are we going?"

"Don't you worry about a thing. I'm ninety percent certain I know where I'm going." Blitz shot off in a hurry.

"Not a hundred percent?" I called after him, but there was no answer. I shook my head, running to catch up.

* * *

We walked along the tracks, the station long behind us. I had my Pip-Buck light on, and I was using it to light my way into each square the sections of track created. I was playing a little hopscotch game, leaping up in an arch like a fox, then diving down and landing with my hooves close together. Then I spread my hooves out, preparing to do it all again.

Earlier, when Blitz had dropped down here and told me to follow, I peered all around. I knew from storybooks a long time ago that trains were supposed to drive on tracks, and that you didn't walk where trains drove. Blitz only laughed it off, saying that EMPs from the megaspells nullified the trains _and_ the tracks a long time ago. Apparently the tracks were electric or something, and they didn't work anymore? I only really understood the not working anymore part.

So now I played contentedly on the rails like they were a playground. It was actually very fun. I giggled and called out "Hich-chah!" every so often. I felt like a secret ninja. Blitz kept looking over his shoulder at me, and at one point he even said, "Be careful, or you'll make your wounds worse." but I had been steadily ignoring him, so he hadn't talked to me since that warning.

I was actually feeling a little sore, but I was energetic, and sugar must have a huge impact on me, because I couldn't help but be playful. Okay, I couldn't help it pretty much all of the time, but now especially. I hopped over to the next square, then did a little victory dance. "You cannot defeat the almighty hopping Orange Juice." I made my voice as deep as it could go.

"Is that your imitation of a sports announcer?" Blitz chuckled at me. "If so, it isn't very good. And what's "hoppy Orange Juice"? Some kinda cheap fruit IPA?" Blitz stared at me with amusement.

"What's IP…" I trailed off when I noticed the flick of a shadow up ahead, which made me realize there was an orange glowing light awaiting us. I leaned sideways to get a better look around Blitz.

"What? Whattaya looking at?" Blitz stared around, trying to spot what had caught my attention.

"There's somepony over there." I iterated slowly. I felt unsure.

We approached cautiously, Blitz with his rifle held steadily in his hoof, the butt pressed carefully against his shoulder, me peering out from behind him. He looked nervous. I wondered what it could be. I realized I knew very little of the wasteland and the many dangers it offered. I was okay with being a little naive. Because when we got there, what I saw gave me a fright.

"Augh!" I shouted, my heart pounding. Up on both the platform to the left and the platform to the right were groups of ponies huddled together. And they all looked like rotting corpses.

"Hush! Maintain stealth!" Blitz threw a hoof to my muzzle, shushing me. Suddenly my EFS read [CAUTION], warning me that the zombie thingies were looking for us.

Blitz pushed me backward roughly, and I nearly stumbled over my hind legs, but I caught myself. Blitz met my eyes and whispered harshly, "It's very important you shut up."

"Hey, that's not very—" he slapped a hoof over my mouth again. I furrowed my brows, feeling frustrated.

"Quiet!" Blitz hissed in a desperate attempt to get me to listen. "We need to stay in stealth mode. If we can catch them off guard, I can toss a grenade in and clear the room, but you have to stop _talking."_

I nodded vigorously in agreement, and Blitz took his hoof from my mouth. I immediately started talking again. "Who are they? Why are you clearing the room? Why are their faces ugly?"

Blitzfire facehoofed. I cocked my head, waiting for him to answer. He dragged his hoof down his face, pulling at his bottom eyelid for a second, before lowering his hoof back to the ground. "Okay," he sighed, "they're called feral ghouls, and they're ugly due to long exposure to radiation. They don't have any rational thought left, like you and I do, so they're bad. Their only goal is to attack anypony who isn't like them. They even attack each other sometimes."

"Oh!" I nodded slowly, like I got it. "Are they zombies?"

Blitz groaned, "Ugh, no! They aren't dead. They're very much alive, like you or me, just that they're crazy and ugly."

"Okay!" I beamed. "So are you going to shoot them with your awesome fast gun?" I closed my eyes and smiled huge at the stallion.

Blitz gave me a look. After a pause he said, "Actually, no…I have something much better." I saw him take out an apple from his saddle bags.

"An apple?" I was confused.

He held it out to me and I took it. "It's not an actual apple," he told me. It was made of metal, which was cold in my hoof.

"What is it?" I tapped it.

"Careful!" Blitz gasped and hurriedly snatched the not-apple from me. "This thing is super dangerous Orange Juice. It explodes and makes fire."

I giggled, "That's one of the very few things you've said to me I've actually understood!"

"Good, maybe I'll simplify things more often." Blitz nodded, then turned toward the firelight. It was coming from a barrel on the platform on the left. The ghouls had finally given up on us, and at least five of them huddled around the fire. But I don't think I was good at counting either.

Blitz bit the stem of the apple between his teeth. Yanking back hard with his jaw, he pulled the stem off. Then he threw the apple into the nest of ghouls. It clattered, and a few of them looked up at the sound. Then there was a fiery inferno blazing red hot. I could feel the heat from here. I stared, having never seen anything like it. The apple thing did that? I noticed Blitz covering his eyes.

Red spots floated in my vision when the fire cleared. I couldn't see a thing through all these clouds. I felt dizzy too. It was disorienting. Off went the assault rifle next, right in my ear.

"Blitzy!" I complained.

"Do you want me to save your ass or what?" came the disgruntled reply.

Blinking, the dots of light began to clear from my vision. I saw a bunch of dead bodies. This was becoming a common occurrence. Lots of them were singed and blackened and stank of burning flesh. The smell was offensive to my nose, I don't think I'd ever smelled anything so sickening.

Some of the ghouls had had their limbs torn off by the blast. That was worse than any dead body. They were a bloodied mess. So were the three that Blitz had shot up, but around those the blood pooled.

"Blitz!" I moaned, "You could've left them be! They weren't doing anything." I pouted.

"This is the only way to the treasure. You want to see the treasure, right?"

"Mm hmm," I made a sound of affirmation.

"Righty, then we go this way." and off he marched. I gave the dead goulies backward glances. They were actually so much more cute than the bugs now that I thought about it…

* * *

 _Crackle…_ I lifted my hoof about a half an hour later, seeing the gauge on my PIP-Buck ticking away my radiation level. My EFS warned me too. It was moving very slowly though, so no worry. But I felt the need to inform Blitz.

"Hey!" I trotted up beside him, "We're getting 1 radiation per second. There's radiation here!"

"You probably don't even know why radiation is bad." Blitz shrugged.

"Nope, not really, why?"

"For a number of reasons. For one thing, it can cause cancer, which you don't want. For another it mutates your cells—er, your body, doing bad things. It's what turned those poor ponies into ghouls in the first place. The reason they're feral is because they were exposed to radiation so long, it rotted their brains."

He looked at me out of the corner of his eye. I was listening intently, my ears perked up. "I've never met somepony so eager to learn before." Blitz commented. "What kind of Stable did you grow up in?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but my PIP-Buck began crackling louder. The radiation level was increasing. If it was so bad, then I didn't like the looks of this. Blitz suddenly stopped, and I pummeled into him, face first into his butt. "Oof!"

He continued walking again and not expecting it, I fell flat on my face. "We're here," he told me.

(Regenerative effect has worn off. Please replace bandages to restore effect.)

I got up and shook myself off. Blitz was heading toward a metal staircase that led up to a tiny space. There was a door situated in the crevice. He was busy working at the lock with a screwdriver and a bobby pin. The door clicked and Blitz pumped a hoof and whooped in success.

(+4 RADS/sec)

It was getting worse the further in we went. I wanted to tell Blitz that, but he seemed so intent on his prize. I watched him canter on into the room without a care.

I followed. Inside there was another door at the far end, but the room had rows of shelving with big black trunks on them. I also saw a few first aid kits on the walls. We'd already reached a jackpot! This was so cool!

" _Phwoh_ ," Blitz whistled as he opened a trunk. "Look at these babies."

"What are they?!" I ran to him, trying to get a good look. He lifted a small metal box in a brown pleather case. It had weird buttons and flashy lights on it I couldn't figure out.

"This, my friend, is a Stealth-Buck. It can turn you invisible. The ultimate stealth mode." Blitz had the biggest goofy grin ever. He was super ecstatic about these Stealth-Bucks.

"How many are there?" I asked.

"In this box, four. Who knows what's in the other two chests."

"This is awesome!" I exclaimed.

"Here, let's go see what's in the next room." Blitz got up to go to the door. I went with him, but suddenly the radiation levels started shooting up.

I backpedaled, shaking my head back and forth. "Nonononono!"

"What is it?" Blitz saw my scared expression. "You look like a deer in the headlights."

"Lots and lots of radiation. We _can't_ go in there." my eyes pleaded with him.

Blitz bit his lip, glancing between me and the door waiting behind him. Then he shut his eyes tight and sighed deeply. "Ok, you're right, Orange. We've had our fun for today. Let's get out of here."

 _ **(Chapter 14 set for 4/28/17 11:00am CT**_

 _I decided not to include a flashback this chapter because I don't want them to start getting stale. It sometimes feels like I'm forcing them, and I don't want that. Anyway._

 _I feel accomplished. I'm going to cross "Put a dinner" off the bucket list. Best. Name. Ever. Actually, can you give me a round of applause right now? Because I'm gushing at the very idea of Port-A-Diner from Fallout being called Put a dinner, especially in the eyes of our little hero here who can't read. Isn't he adorable? XD_

 _On a sidenote, does anyone notice that disregard Blitzfire has for Orange? He's completely dismissed Orange's distress, not once, but five times in the past couple chapters. And he'll probably keep doing it. It's realistic though, isn't it, given his backstory. I'll definitely have to give more of that later ;_ )

 _Well, what do you guys think? Don't be shy XD I don't bite, I'm not a Rad-roachie! What do you think of this chapter and our in depth taste of the wasteland? Hope you like! Okay. Love ya and see ya soon!)_

 **Brohoof! /)**


	15. Chapter 14 Lightning and the Thunder

**Chapter 14** Lightning and the Thunder

 _There was an evening that the Stable randomly malfunctioned. The generators went offline or something, cutting power to certain areas. It was in the middle of the night and I was woken by the sound of my door hissing open. I got up out of bed and walked slowly over to the open door, my hooves barely touching the threshold. I was afraid to go out._

 _I saw I wasn't the only one awake, and I wasn't the only one that was afraid. Other stallions were peeking out into the darkened hall, blinking sleepily but warily. I glanced up at the lighting strips lining the edge of the ceiling. They'd all gone out._

 _I got bold, putting one hoof over the void. It felt like a long step into another realm. I felt like I was crossing into a new territory. I touched the crosshatched black metal grating that made up the floor and half height of the walls. I got a sudden chill up my spine, and my whole body quaked. I was doing the forbidden. It felt somehow adventurous._

 _Nothing scary happened and I got even braver, wanting more of the feeling I was getting. It was enticing and addicting, doing what I knew I wasn't supposed to. Doing what would get me in trouble. I put my second front hoof out._

 _Finally, I was all the away in the hall. I trotted a few steps, feeling free. That's when the door to my cell closed with a sharp bang. I yelped and shot forward, frightened. Nopony else's doors closed, and they all stared at me with wide terrified eyes._

 _I heard hoofsteps echoing down the long abyss of this corridor. Oh no! What if it was Sniper? She'd be angry. She might even shoot me for being out here! I ran forward, away from the sound. The hallway bent at a curve, and I was around the corner just as I heard an amplified voice shout out, "Everypony remain calm. Gadget will get the Luna-forsaken generators up and running again. If she and the Overmare can agree that is." that last sentence was an added grumple, barely heard._

 _I stopped, turning to the sound of the voice and perked one ear up. Who was Gadget and why wasn't she agreeing with the Overmare? I thought everypony agreed with the Overmare. The mare talking loudly started up again. "I want you all to remain in your rooms, or there will be consequences. Later this evening we'll have guards down here to check the cells, but they're all caught up with…something."_

 _"Psst! Oiy, colt," a voice called out to me. I craned my neck to see who it was. I thought it was a stallion, there were a couple staring at me from the depths of their rooms. But no, none of them were trying to get my attention._

 _I took a few steps forward. "Who's there?" I whispered out to them._

 _"Over here," I saw a pony in the shadows near a crevice, waving a hoof to me. I moved speedily over to her._

 _"Hi!" I beamed. She grabbed my leg, pulling me into the little crevice. "Gah!" I choked out in shock._

 _She pulled me into a side tunnel, one I assumed was meant for maintenance. She didn't let go and held my leg tightly. It kinda hurt. Then we came out into a wider area, and she tossed me forward and away from herself._

 _"What the hell are you thinking?" asked the mare in a harsh tone. She was wearing a hooded robe, so I couldn't see her face._

 _"Who are you?" I asked. I was sprawled on the floor, staring up with a sort of daze. This mare was acting really fishy._

 _"Ungh," came her groan of annoyance. She dropped her hood. My eyes widened. She looked like a zebra! But no, she was a pony._

 _"You're so pretty!" I breathed. She was radiant. The way her amazing eyes stared down at me with strength. She seemed sure of herself._

 _"Don't try to flatter me colt. You're bucking lucky I was where I was." said mare._

 _"I'm not trying to f-flatter you. I don't want you to look like a pancake." I gasped. Why would I want her flatter when she was beautiful the way she was?_

 _Wait a sec! "You look like somepony I've seen before." I tried thinking who she was._

 _"Don't hurt yourself, foal. Get up." she nudged me lightly with her hoof. I obeyed._

 _"Who are you?" I asked._

 _She put her hood back on, turning away from me. "For one, somepony who might be able to put to rest some social disharmony, if only Gadget will listen to me. For another, the one who will save your ass."_

 _"Who's Gadget?" I asked._

 _"Stop asking so many Celestia-damn questions."_

 _A silence filled the air in a gentle pause. Then, not unexpectedly,_

 _"Who's Celestia?"_

 _Zebra mare remained silent. She was set on her one goal, and she didn't need me interrupting her heavy thoughts. She rushed forward, not caring if she left me behind. Good thing I was energetic and persistent!_

 _"Hey, wait a sec! I know you!"_

 _"You do huh?" the mare gave me the tiniest of glances over her shoulder._

 _"Yeah!" I nodded. "You gave me a box of Dandy Colts!" I remembered her from a long time ago, when she found me inside that dark closet._

 _"I didn't give you anything. You stole them. I just decided not to do anything about it." Zebra mare huffed. We stopped at an intersection, me almost running into her. "Watch it," she said, taking a second to decide where we were, then taking a quick left turn._

 _"You're fast!" I complimented her. Again, no reaction. "I still have that box you know. I didn't want to eat them. It wouldn't be fair of me."_

 _"Not fair of anypony, kid," Zebra mare murmured._

 _"Huh?"_

 _"You wouldn't really get it. Now, keep your mouth shut, because nopony is playing games." she stopped and began banging a hoof on the wall. What was she doing that for? There was nothing there. Just a big, long, empty, blank, totally—There was a jarring sound, and the whole wall began to split._

 _I jumped back, "Whoa!" the wall was now open like a gaping mouth, a monster's belly waiting inside. It was dark down there. I'm not sure I wanted to know what it liked to eat._

 _Zebra mare grabbed my leg again, pulling me in…_

* * *

A rhythmic beating sound could be heard as we entered the shop. Blitz dropped his things onto the floor of the back room as soon as we were both in and I had shut the door. Back in the tunnels, where Blitz was looking for his treasure, we had collected a few Stealth-Bucks and I had gathered medicinals. Blitz had me drink a health potion—there were plenty of them—so my face and bug bites could heal. They quickly did under the super healing properties of the potion.

Now I felt perky, but I still didn't know what that loud sound was. It was coming from the front. Blitz was too busy murmuring irritatedly over his finds, hoofing through the bags. We'd split what we'd obtained, but he didn't seem content for some reason. I decided to ask him later, feeling drawn toward the noise. I was already pushing the door toward the shop. It was dim in here, shadows cast over everything like a web. The terminal on the front counter looked sad and saggy, the glass blown out.

My hooves shoved through dust and random bits of paper, moving them to the side. I moved to the main shop area, around the little stage that was set up in the center. There were carousel styled mannequins that featured fashionable outfits for mares. Was this world centered around mares? It was always so prominent, and it hurt. It was one of the biggest similarities that seemed to present itself out here in the wasteland when compared to the Stable.

 _BOOM!_ Came a loud noise after a violent flash of angry blue light from outside. The light made everything hard to see for a second, like I was blind by blue. The sound made me jump two feet in the air, my whole body going stiff, my legs jutting out as straight as they could go. My whole face was awashed in the terror of it, my eyes wide, the two different colored irises having shrunk in my complete and utter fear. Then I fell back to the ground and I immediately zipped to be behind the counter, whinnying and trembling, a pony acting like a dog with its tail between its legs. I used my tail to wrap around myself protectively.

Blitz must've heard me, because he came into the shop, "Hey, what's up?" I peeked up at him from under my hooves, but another flash and loud sound startled me back into my shell, ducking my head again so it wouldn't hurt me.

"W-w-what is th-that? I-It's s-scary. I d-don't l-like it!" I forced myself to say through my shaking, stammering in terror.

I heard Blitz's hooves walking away, out into the main shop. "It's nothing. Just lightning and thunder. Damn, haven't seen one of these babies in so long." I heard the little store bell tinkle right before another big boom tore through the shop and jarred me.

Nothing. No sound throughout the entire store other than that rhythmic pitter pattering and the booms that never stopped. But in here was quiet. In here was safe. I was scared to death, I never wanted to move again. Where was Blitz? Where was the Guardian? I was all alone with nopony to help me. Every time the scary noise shook the shop, I trembled and whimpered more, until I was just a sobbing mess.

But through that, nopony came. I started to lift my head, flinching as another boom sounded. I didn't lower my face though because I didn't want to be alone. I had to find Blitz. I began to get to my hooves, shaking so much I almost fell. It's like I'd forgotten how to stand and walk. I finally managed it though, and I poked my head over the counter, looking around. Nothing, just an empty clothing store.

I took a few shaky steps, then some more and more until I reached the door. I opened it, looking around outside. It was windy and cold and much much darker than when we'd first come in. I lifted my leg to check my Pip-Buck, looking at the clock. It was still daytime, late afternoon, but still. It should not be this dark.

I spotted Blitz, standing alone in the center of the road, staring up at the sky with heavy eyes, his mane and tail whipping in the powerful breeze. And the sky, it was ripped open and pouring water down. The powerful pellets of liquid pummeled into the ground at an angle, relentless in their strike. It smelled fresh and damp too, a weird interesting smell that was so much nicer but a little odd and earthy compared to the musty, stale smell of the subway tunnels.

When the water wet my nose, I jumped back and began licking upward to my snout, staring crosseyed down my nose. What was that, what had just happened? Why did the sky make my face wet? I licked, but couldn't reach the baby dew-droplet that sat on the tip of my muzzle. I pushed the door open again, braving the water. The sheer force of it coming down in sheets absolutely terrified me, but at the same time it was a complete curiosity that I had to fulfil.

I took more steps outside, shying back every few inches in hesitation, but I needed to be with Blitzy. He just stood there, facing the shower down in a defiance unmatched. I wanted to stand with him. I pushed forth, and the shop door clicked shut behind me. I was actually outside now in the downpour! I yipped, then ran toward the lone stallion.

I was by his side now, and as if on cue, the light in the sky tore across my vision, blinding me again, and the big noise like a bomb itself deafened me, and I threw myself forward, butt in the air, and hooves over my head, trying to cover myself. Duck and cover right? I think I saw that on a poster once when I was younger, in the schoolroom.

The water continued to pour down, and when I peeped open my eyes, I realized I was situated beneath the nice smooth belly of the lone stallion above me. I had used him for cover, haha. I gulped as I realized he was staring down at me with a raised brow. "Whatcha doin' kid?" he asked me.

I slowly picked myself up, but not paying attention, I smashed my face into his belly. "Ack!" I spluttered. I came up and stared him in the eye, blushing and rubbing the top of my head with my hoof. Blitz kept his eyes trained on me patiently, waiting for my response.

"Um…" I mumbled, "well, you see. What's the sky doing?" I choked out.

"The sky? …Doing?" Blitz cocked his head. Then he slowly smiled. Then he burst into hysterical laughter. I opened my mouth to ask him what was so funny, when the sky yelled at me again. I threw myself forward once more, under Blitz, hooves covering my head. "Colt," Blitz put his hoof on me and pushed me away from himself, "It's called rain. It's a thunderstorm."

"Rain?" I straightened out again. "Thunder?" I looked up at the sky. _BOOM!_ "Augh!" I shouted and tried to force my way underneath Blitz again, between his back legs, but he wasn't having it.

"Kid, it's just a little rain," he chuckled, but didn't let me crawl underneath him.

"Just a little rain? It's wet!" I cried in protest against him.

"Yeah, rain is wet. Good observation." Blitz was nodding slowly, a small grin playing out on his muzzle.

"And loud!" I stomped my hoof, making a splash that shot upward and soaked the front of Blitz's leg. I giggled.

"That's not funny," Blitz narrowed his eyes.

I kicked the puddles again, splashing Blitzy, "Yes it is!" I was laughing.

"You think so huh?" Blitzfire suddenly got a very mischievous look on his face, and next thing I knew, we were in a splash fight. I was laughing and giggling, bouncing around like a little frog, jumping from puddle to puddle and making huge splashes. By now my mane and tail and pretty much my whole body was completely drenched in the rainwater. My braid had come undone, and my mane hung in loose strands. But I barely noticed. I barely even noticed now when the thunder boomed or what Blitz called lightning flashed. Not even when every flash made my Pip-Buck crackle angrily to warn me of radiation.

"Come on, Orange. I wanna walk in the rain. It's been awhile since this has happened. Without pegasi, it's such a rare occurrence." Blitz was smiling widely, the happiest I'd ever seen him if I thought about it. That made me super glad.

I went over to him, and surprised him with a huge hug, "Aww Blitzy, you're not lonely anymore!"

* * *

 _"Lens, what in the Stable is he doing in here?" a brown mare with a fine gray mane was speaking to the zebra mare that had brought me here. The brown mare's hoof was thrust toward me. She had a fiery look in her eyes as she questioned the mare she'd called Lens._

 _Lens rolled her eyes, "Look, I'm not as inclined toward all this as you all seem to be. As you all seem to think I am. Given that, you should obviously expect me to help this colt. He's helpless don't you think?" Lens seemed angry about something, and I was staring back and forth between the two arguing mares._

 _"Fine. But he has to get back to the cells soon, and we're going to have tartarus of a time getting his flank back there with all the patrols."_

 _"That's completely acceptable."_

 _Gadget gestured, and the three of us began walking further into the secret stable. "Now, tell me why you're here."_

 _"I'm here to talk a bit of sense into you. You seem to think you know everything. I get it, but you're going about this wrong. Now is not the time to go messing around and not doing your job, Gadget."_

 _Gadget stopped walking to give Lens a backwards glance, "Not doing my job? I think I'm doing exactly what needs to be done."_

 _"Celestia dammit, you stubborn mare!" Lens shook her head, "Look, just fix the generator. Before you start something you'll regret. You don't want security up your tail do you?"_

 _We were walking again. "Is that a threat Lens Cap? Because from where I stand, you are the one who has the power to wipe us from your hooves with the simple click of your tongue. Yet you don't."_

 _"We're all victims here Gadget." Lens's voice went low. "I'm your ally, I'm trying to help."_

 _"My ally? More of a neutral party. You swing the way of the victor. And the game is yet to be set, so for all I know, you'll be licking the Overmare's hooves any time now." Gadget snorted. Then she stopped by a doorway, pressing the button to open the door._

 _Lens opened her mouth, but glared. She could only grumble. "You see? You're not my ally." The two mares went into the room, and I made to follow them, but Gadget turned. She had sad eyes, "I'm sorry colt. You can't come in here. Why don't you run off now while we figure out how to put you back in the cell safely." I froze, but nodded. There was a huge lump in my throat, and I couldn't talk._

 _"Luna! I see that look in your eyes, Gadget." Lens snapped as the door closed. "You don't like it anymore than I do…" the door closed._

 _I was left alone in the empty corridor of a secret stable that I don't think even the Overmare knew existed. I turned in circles, seeing I was at a T-intersection. A tunnel jutted out directly opposite the door. I decided I'd go down that way._

 _There were lights in this stable. They must've had their own generator if the power wasn't out. I thought this was so cool! There were mares living under the Overmare's nose? I felt like I was walking in a different world._

 _The tunnel opened out into a large atrium-like room. Ponies milled about, gathered and talking in hushed tones. There was a static sound that filled the air of all the hushed voices. They seemed very concerned about something, but the topic must've been touchy if they were scared to talk about it out loud._

 _All the mares looked up as I entered the room. There came a huge silence that slammed into me like a wall. I was apart from them, even as I walked amongst them. It had to be strange to see a free colt walking around with nopony stopping him. This secret stable of theirs didn't fall under the same rules as the Overmare's, and it was foreign to me. It was foreign to them too, which is why they gawked._

 _A mare ran over to me, a pink mare who looked worried. "Oh! What are you doing here?" she gasped. I knew her._

 _I beamed. "Lens brought me here. Isn't that cool?"_

 _"Oh no." she was shaking her head at me. "No, UP, this isn't cool at all. Come on, before these mares get agitated. They already have enough stress on their shoulders as it is."_

 _She took me out of the atrium, and we walked along a corridor that had big glass windows. On the left I could see earth mares working at a field, but they were leaning forward, noses to the dirt, like they didn't understand what they were doing wrong. On the right side was a room with a huge generator, a bunch of hazard signs adorning it._

 _We came to another corridor with doors, and she brought the two of us to one that was open. It led into a hallway with a glowing sign, and a stairwell that led down. "Where are we going?" I eyed the metal stairs. It was a long way down._

 _"Just to my bedroom here. It won't be much, but I had to get you out of the way. And…there's something I wanted to show you if it doesn't frighten you."_

 _"What is it?! What is it?!" Frighten me? I was excited. This whole thing had me feeling jittery on my hooves, but in a good way._

 _We went to her room in the depths of the secret stable. She went in and quickly closed the door, my tail almost getting nicked in the closing door she was in such a rush. It was just two rooms, nothing like her palace in the normal stable. There was a bed and a dresser in the far right corner, an armchair to the left, and a stand across from the bed and to the right of the door with a radio sitting atop it, maybe meant for Stable broadcasts. The second room was just a tiny bathroom, only a toilet and a sink._

 _The pink mare opened the dresser. I heard more than one somethings rolling around suggestively inside. My heart fell to my stomach, and I knew what she wanted to show me._

 _"Are you okay? You don't have to if you don't want to."_

 _I didn't want to be a scaredy cat around her, the most gentle mare of all of them. So I went to the dresser and picked up a little ball, the purple and pink swirling form in the black shiny surface enticing me. I gulped, sucking down the lump in my throat, then I activated the sphere._

* * *

 ** _(Okay, general angst warning._** _There's also a sexual undertone, and yes I mention "shaft" and "white stuff" again, but that's not the main point of this scene. I'd say it's above a T rating, but below an M rating here. But it is dark and sadistic._

 _If you've read Stable 28 and you know the Overmare, then you can imagine what's coming. This part is important though, as are all the parts that I include in this story. There's very important foreshadowing in this scene, an interesting plot twist that's coming later in the story. So hopefully angst doesn't bother you guys._

 _Jeez I hate putting so many warnings randomly throughout this story. I Love ya tho.. Here we go!)_

* * *

 _Everything from the secret stable disappeared from my vision, and I was taken to a new place. I was in a pony that was staring at a mare. The mare was familiar, the same from the previous sphere, but she looked a lot younger and she was pacing. The pony I was in was sitting uncomfortably on a bed, watching with fear in his heart as the mare continued her heated pacing. Back. And. Forth. Back. And. Forth._

 _"You've completely ruined the moment." she said. "I can't believe you would say that to me as I was sucking you off. Now you won't get to finish, because your seed has started to completely and utterly sicken me."_

 _"I'm sorry!" cried the stallion, staring down at his slowly sinking shaft. He felt so ashamed of himself._

 _"You didn't have to tell me that."_

 _"But you asked—" the angry mare stomped her hoof to interrupt him._

 _"Be less specific! Idiot!" she shook her head, her eyes burning into the stallion. Then she stood tall, facing him and scowling, "So, you had a second one? With the same mare?"_

 _"Yes, there are two colts now, just a year apart. Just babies. Please—" the stallion was protesting, but it seemed useless._

 _The mare lifted a hoof, "You think I'm going to kill one like I did with the twins so very long ago, don't you?" she looked at her hoof, examining it for a second._

 _"Please, don't hurt them!"_

 _"You're seriously going to beg me for the lives of worthless little skanks, colts that don't deserve to breathe the same air as me?" she creased her brows angrily. She looked like a feral beast ready to strike._

 _"They aren't worthless. They're my sons!" the stallion was still protesting._

 _"You know a lot about this don't you? You shouldn't even know the meaning of the word! Son, daughter, mother, father. Those words are curses!" She yelled in anger. She was not happy. But then the mare crooked a grin, and neither I nor the stallion were comfortable with that grin._

 _Her raised hoof shot to the stallion's crotch. He threw his head back, moaning as she stroked up and down. I could feel everything he felt, and this mare knew what she was doing…It felt so nice. "Instead of killing them…How about I propose a trade?" she stared up at the stallion with an evil, sadistic look in her eyes._

 _"What," Her hoof squeezed, shooting pleasure through his shaft, making his voice shoot up a couple octaves, "kind of…trade?" his breath left his lungs in a sigh of pure bliss. White sticky stuff dripped down._

 _Not stopping what she was doing with this hoof, she leaned toward a small dresser near the bed. With her teeth, she opened the drawer, and out she came with a small gun in her mouth. The stallion widened his eyes, and his heartbeat picked up. His thingie throbbed, and there was more white stuff._

 _"You're going to decommission me?" he asked with a shaky breath._

 _The mare shook her head and smiled wider. "Silly, silly." the gun came down, just under the shaft. The gun clicked as she cocked it. "How much do you love your sons?" her whole expression changed and she snarled at him._

 _A pang went through the stallions lower area, and it hurt as she shoved the barrel of the gun into his crotch. "How much?!"_

 _"I love them! I don't want them to be harmed!" tears streamed from the stallion's eyes._

 _"Enough that you'd trade yourself for them?" she asked. He nodded, and the tears fell down hard now. His thingie throbbed one last time, white stuff shooting out just as the gunshot rang through the room. The stallion threw his head back, falling to the bed and screaming in agony. There was blood, a lot of blood. And a lot of burning pain. His hooves went to where his thingie used to be, where all that was left was a bloody mess._

 _"Consider them completely safe. I'll guarantee that." she licked her lips, then turned to leave._

 **OOO**

 _The memory faded away, and I dropped the ball, where it smashed into dust on the floor. The pain still shot through me, everywhere, it hurt SO FREAKING MUCH! I fell to the floor, my front hooves thrown down between my legs and clutching tightly, trying to make it stop. "Aughhhh!" I cried, rolling back and forth and kicking my legs._

 _"Oh Celestia! I'm so sorry!" the pink mare cried out, running to me and pulling me into her arms tightly. She rocked me back and forth, trying her best to comfort me._

 _"She shot him, she shot him down there! It's gone! It's go-o-o-ne!" I cried, sobbing and burying my face into her._

 _"No, oh sweetie, it's fine, it's still there. You're going to be okay. I'll hold you until it feels better." I nodded at her words, digging my face into her chest. She told me later that she hadn't used the spheres herself. That she wouldn't ever make me use them again if they were that scary. My last thoughts as Lens came to bring me back to my cell were of a question. Who had the mare and stallion been talking about, two colts only a year apart that were bred from the same mother and father._

 _Did that make them brothers?_

* * *

Blitz took a step out of my arms, and I stared up at his solemn look. He wasn't smiling anymore. He shook his head and closed his eyes. "It's not the same O.J."

"What isn't, I don't understand what you mean."

"I…can't talk about it." he began to run off, and I hesitated for a second, watching him go. I didn't mean to make him sad. I had to fix it! I shot off after him, wanting only to make him happy…

 _ **(Chapter 15 set for 5/8/17**_

 _Whoo, this is emotional. Poor O.J. scared of lightning and thunder because he's literally never experienced it! And Blitz passing it off again, mostly because it's not the kind of pony he is to stop and notice small things like that. He's just not used to it. But this entire chapter was an emotional battle for me, I felt the pain and energy Orange felt throughout this._

 _So, some major revelations in this chapter. I made the flashback scenes super long and hefty to make up for not having them as much recently. Major plot twists going on, huh? I created a backstory for events that lead up to the war in the Stable there. Making allusions to the discontent between Gadget and the Overmare. Hope you guys like!_

 _So, who are these brothers? Has anyone caught on to what I'm hinting at? I mean, you probably need to read Stable 28 to make the connection. But yea. And poor Blitzy with his sad past. You gotta see what's getting him down. Maybe I'll have another flashback scene for him. Hmm...Okay, lol, hope this chapter was enticing, but not too overwhelming. I might have to add angst to the genres. Anyway, love ya!)_

 **Brohoof! /)**


	16. Chapter 15 Move Along

**Chapter 15** Move Along

Ravager Blitzfire

 _The Stable was a vast labyrinth that there was no escape from. The dark crowded in like a haze that refused to let me go. For some reason, they hadn't issued us Pip-Bucks, probably because we were going to be frozen. I had thought I'd at least get mine as soon as what needed to be done got done. But then they had to go and freeze me too. That's why I didn't have a Pip-Buck._

 _All that was on my mind was getting the buck out of here. But I didn't have as much experience with the Stable as I thought, even after extensive hours of presentations and pamphlets and looking over the map. It just wasn't enough. It wasn't the same as the real thing. And so I found myself lost, getting turned in circles._

 _I realized that Nexus was after me. Shooting the lock wouldn't stop an engineer like him. I was a hundred percent certain he was loose and looking for me. That's the kind of faith I had in my friend's abilities. Well, ex-friend. He hated me now…_

 _I didn't want him to hate me. I was riddled with guilt, and I knew that it was selfish to want his forgiveness, but…He'd always been my friend. Since forever. We'd gone through it all. But we weren't together through this. That's why I was guilty. I'd let him down. I'd betrayed him. I didn't deserve him because he was so good where I was just a fraud._

 _I managed to make my way out of the maintenance wing. I realized I had made my way into the security wing. I passed an armory, but it was empty. Either it had never received supplies, or the guards had all already taken them. I moved on, careful not to linger. A dead me would never have any chance at winning back Sparky's friendship._

 _"Blitzfire!" his angry voice rang out. It gave me a start, and I stopped in my tracks, looking around and trying to find where his voice was coming from._

 _I was scum, wasn't I? I should just accept my fate, take what I deserved, but I didn't want to die. That was selfish. I shook my head, tears forming, then I bolted off. The next hallway led me into the cafeteria. Was I even making any headway? I think there must be a staircase, I had to make it to a higher level to get out of here._

 _I ran around all the benches and tables, left empty for so long. They were all a facade. Dust had settled over the long centuries, and that notion suddenly hit me. I was at least 226 years old, wasn't I? I stopped fast, skidded a few feet. My heart was pounded hard against my chest and I felt like a deadweight. Honestly, I probably should be dead._

 _Why had anypony thought it was a good idea to freeze civilians anyway? They'd all wake up and wonder why the buck their world had turned to tarnish. They'd open the big gear door to the outside world and they'd only find death and destruction, wouldn't they? I knew the cruel reality even before making my escape. The megaspells had fell, obviously that led to the conclusion that there had to be nothing left. So what was the point._

 _For me, the point was Nexus Spark. Always Nexus. He'd be the missing piece in my heart until we found each other again. I stamped a hoof, creasing my brows, then made for the door. I pressed the button, and as it slid open, I looked over my shoulder again into the mess hall. "Ack!" I shouted. Nexus was standing right there, the silver revolver in his hoof and pointed directly at me. He meant business and talking wouldn't stop him now. If I stayed to chat, I'd be dead before I could even utter a sound._

 _I ran, a coward. "Please, Nex, this isn't right!" I tried to call, but gunshots rang out in sharp reports, pinging off the metal all around me, but luckily just missing me. I was a pretty lucky son of a bitch wasn't I? Now my tears freely fell, and I knew they left droplets on the floors of this damned stable._

 _I did find a staircase and I ran up the steps two at a time. I heard Nexus's hoofsteps running behind me just as fast. I hit the button on the door at the landing, but the light was out and nothing happened. Oh Faust! The damned power was faulty everywhere. I was at a dead end. Quite literally._

 _I kept smashing my hoof into the panel, trying to get it to do something. I saw the light blink a couple times, but I wasn't quite sure it would ever work. I had to face this head on and do it fast. I had the ache to survive now, if only to one day make up with Nexus. He made his way up the stairs, as angry as a bull. There he was, staring me down with fire in his flourescent green eyes. His black coat was sleek and shone brilliantly as it ever did. His neon green and black mane was in that cute curl whip like always.j_

 _Why was I noticing these things? Probably because in my fervor, I was finally realizing just how deep that emotion in my heart that was set aside especially for Nexus actually went. I needed those eyes to stop looking at me with such hatred and malice. It hurt like no end, like myself and the whole universe was just tearing apart._

 _"Please…" I whispered._

 _"I loved you Faust dammit." Nexus's voice was breathy, and I saw he too was crying quietly. His hoof shook as he rose the gun and put it against my chest. He'd do it. I knew he would._

 _And so it was yet another thing I took away from him. The right to the avengement he wanted and I agreed he deserved. My death. I took that away from him. I smacked the gun from his hoof so fast that he was surprised, and he took a backward step, nearly stumbling back down the stairs. The revolver flung through the air, flipping end over end, until it clattered against a wall and finally laid to rest only a couple feet from the two of us. Either of us could easy lunge for it and finish it all. But we stared at each other._

 _It was a complete dead silence. Our gazes were locked so tight that neither of us could bring ourselves to break away. We told an unspoken story with these looks. We were close, the two of us. We went back to sleepovers under the stars, hangouts in a treehouse, shenanigans in the playground. And in all that time we'd been so close that we could read each other's every movement, every thought. We were that connected. Ravager Blitzfire and Nexus Spark, together we were the prodigies of our time. Now what were we? Rivals?_

 _In a breath he said, "I hate you."_

 _With a shake of my head I admitted, "And I love you so much." Then I broke our connection, diving for the gun and scooping it up. The door chose that perfect moment to open, and with my momentum, I slid out through it. Because it was malfunctioning and because I'd clicked the button an odd amount of times, it slammed shut as soon as I was through. Our eyes were locked the whole time, and I knew that was letting me go on purpose. He was giving me a chance wasn't he? Did he want to make up? I really really hoped so…_

 _Because, I loved him too much to lose him._

* * *

I stood in the middle of an intersection at the edge of the downtown district, where I could see the start of the business district and the end of the city, the beginning of the highway. The Fort was visible right there, just down the way, but it was the west facing side, which meant going through dangerous raider territory to get to it.

In my hoof, I held tightly to the silver revolver that I had gained from Nexus Spark so many years ago. It had been a long time since I'd thought of the stallion. Now, here in this desolate city that could've once been a center of wasteland trade, I found myself reminded of the close friend I had lost all over again.

That little colt, Orange, he'd had to go and ruin the moment. And now the rainstorm felt so appropriate. Let the rain fall down, it can hide my tears. My red, gray and black mane fell around my face in drenched strands, and my bangs fell down over my eyes, hiding my lament. But I stared down at Spark's gun, a little tribute to my dark past. I blamed myself so much, but things in this wasteland had tried to tell me I shouldn't. I saw things everywhere that made me think it shouldn't be my fault. But blame had to be cast on somepony, and I had to be that pony.

That didn't mean I shouldn't be allowed to cry about it either. It hurt so much. I was broken, my heart was torn and lie damaged somewhere in that stable. I was an emotional wreck and I hated to _bucking_ show it. Orange Juice came over and touched my shoulder lightly and I flinched away from him.

I muttered darkly, "Buck off."

His sweet, girly voice spoke through the pounding rain, "Blitzy, why are you upset? Please tell me, I wanna help you!"

"Blitzy is what _he_ used to call me."

"Oh! Sorry, do you not want me to call you that? I think it's cute."

Cute? Did this colt really think he was being helpful or comforting at all? Or did he really not realize just how upset I actually was? Joking around wasn't going to cheer me up again. So I moved away from him, turning my head. Maybe that was childish, but so be it. I didn't want him infringing on my personal feelings right now. "Leave me alone." I muttered grumpily.

Orange Juice sat on his haunches, curling his aqua green tail around himself protectively. He was a stubborn oaf, I'd give him that. He refused to leave my side. So instead, he would just sit there in complete silence, and do exactly as I did, which was to stare up into the pouring rain in utter defiance. I guess if he couldn't console me he would share in my somber. It was a sweet gentle thing that slowly eased me back out of my depressed state.

There was a long silence that we sat there in, but in the short time I'd known him, I knew Orange wouldn't be able to hold that for long. He eventually broke the silence, but what he said was surprisingly insightful, "Look, I know you're sad about Nexy."

"You do?" I gulped.

"Yeah. And I wanna help you! So…if you help me find the Guardian, I can help you find your Spark. Whattaya think?"

I was blushing. Somepony who was much younger than me, even if I wasn't over 200, and he was the one acting more mature! "I think that's good," I breathed.

"Really?!" Orange jumped up and yipped gleefully. He was quite excited about the prospect of finding this Guardian character, wasn't he?

"Yeah," I winked at him then got to my hooves. I had taken this colt under my metaphorical wing, so I had to stand by that.

"Where are we gonna go now?" asked O.J.

I turned my muzzle in the direction of the raider territory we were encroaching upon. I saw the tall military structure that was the huge concrete fortress simply known as the Fort. and in between here and there, ravaged and desolate buildings that were toppling and broken, and a den of ponies who didn't deserve the name. They were monsters. They weren't even civilized, even attacking each other for crying out loud! The Combat Zone was just one example, a bit in the opposite direction, but they weren't concerned with attacking the Fort. But where we were about to go, these raiders absolutely hated the good ponies of the Fort. It'd be a bloodbath if we were lucky.

"Orange, I'm not gonna lie to you, we could die." _way to be blunt to a 10 year old Blitzy._

Orange stared at me with puppydog eyes, "Are there more meanie raiders down there?" I saw him swallow a lump in his throat, looking between me and the direction we were meant to travel.

"Eyup." I nodded. "We have to get through the high school to even think about making it to the Fort, and even past that there's more dens waiting."

"The high school?" Orange cocked his head, looking like a curious bird.

"Do you not know what that is?"

"School's where you learn to service other ponies, right?"

I narrowed my eyes. Did he just say service? What the buck? "I don't even want to know what you mean by the word 'service'. What the buck goes on in your stable can stay in your stable."

"Oh, okay." Orange didn't really understand.

I moved forward a few steps past the colt. Ahead of us, the clouds were beginning to part, and shafts of sunlight were splitting through. The rain had crawled to a slow drizzle, and water was finally able to drip off me. I was a sopping mess, but I'd drip dry soon. "Let's move along now, before the rain starts up again." I told Orange Juice.

"Okay!" he galloped after me as we headed off down the hill.

* * *

Orange Juice

 _Today, Bookworm had queued me, and we were planning on reading another book again. She always read them out loud for me, and I really enjoyed it. We sat in the middle of her room, a book in front of her, and me staring up at her beautiful eyes as she spoke the words like she had written them herself. She was so smooth and graceful as she talked, and I could listen to her voice all day._

 _I wonder what the other mares would think if they found out Bookworm was reading history books to me, teaching me things I wasn't supposed to know. It didn't really matter though, kuz I never really paid attention. It was her butterfly voice, and her magic filled eyes that I was really staring at. She was the first pony I'd ever thought about servicing because I wanted to, not because she told me to. Was that wrong? When I woke up at night with sticky bedsheets, I always felt guilty and ashamed…_

 _"Twilight faced a dilemma, what with the cost of the war tearing at her budget, how could she and the other Ministries afford—" Bookworm's voice was interrupted when her Pip-Buck started buzzing incessantly. I blinked and lifted my head from my heads, knocked from my stupor._

 _The Pip-Buck started talking, and Bookworm lifted her leg to look down at it, "Bookworm, you're bucking needed." the mare's voice that came out of her Pip-Buck sounded angry._

 _"What's going on?" I asked._

 _"Dammit! Do you have a bucking colt with you?"_

 _"Y-yeah," she gulped._

 _"Well, bring him with you, and forget any messes if you've made them. Kuz guess what?"_

 _"What?" Bookworm blinked down at the screen._

 _"You get to be a sub today!"_

 _I trotted along behind Bookworm, wondering what was up. What did sub mean? It wasn't until I started to recognize the hallways we were walking through that I stopped being a hundred percent confused. We were heading to the schoolroom!_

 _"Bookworm, what's going on?" I asked her. She was grumbling to herself, sounding mad about something._

 _"Stupid!" she shook her head. Peering over her shoulder she narrowed her eyes, "Oh, you said something?"_

 _"Y-yes." I gulped._

 _"Oh, I just have to look after a bunch of stu—*ahem*—colts. I get to play teacher today, because another mare had to get drunk at a party and wake up with a stallion in her lap, long past the queue time. She's held up with another mare who's a bit pissed off at her."_

 _"Oh!" I nodded. That's when we stopped by the door to the schoolroom, and Bookworm opened it. The electronic door slid upward to allow us in._

 _A security mare stood on the other side, looking really angry, and I was wondering what was up with everyponies' tension today. Maybe it was just a bad day…_

 _"Bookworm! You're finally here. I was just about to come and get ya."_

 _"Oh, yeah." Bookworm rolled her eyes, sounding snooty and fed up. I don't like that sound in her voice. But she did get like that a lot._

 _"It's like Brave New World in here. Which I mean, isn't such a bad thing considering how hot it is, and that they're supposed to do it for us anyway, but I can't control the rugrats, so do something about it."_

 _"What do you mea…" the security mare stepped to the side, making Bookworm trail off as she saw exactly what the other mare was talking about._

 _Inside, there were a few colts in random spots throughout the room, doing…things. There was a pair in the corner, making out with each other, one on top of the other, his hooves in the other colt's mane. I remember colts making moves on other colts in school, but I don't remember them servicing each other like some in here were doing._

 _"What the hell went wrong?" Bookworm was incredulous._

 _"Well, miss 'meanie' teacher isn't here today, and I'm guessing the older, hornier colts passed this little game on to the younger ones."_

 _"Is that supposed to be funny?" Bookworm asked haughtily as she stared at one colt that was sucking on an older, taller colt's unicorn horn. "If so, I don't like the pun. But I see what you mean by 'Brave New World'."_

 _"What's Brave New World?" I asked Bookworm._

 _The security mare answered me, "She's talking about these fucking colts' erotic play. Move, I'm leaving." the mare shoved past the two of us rather rudely, but of course I didn't protest. I wasn't allowed to nor did I want to._

 _Bookworm sighed. "Okay, looks like I'm teacher of these hooligans." she stomped into the room begrudgingly. "HEY!" she shouted, "Get your juices under control because I'm not here to watch my own personal private show of a bunch of underage colts. Who the buck authorized this?" she snapped._

 _All the colts looked up at her with huge wide eyes like they knew just how caught red hoofed they were. Then they noticed me by Bookworm's side. I don't think they'd ever seen a stallion with a designation before. I had the big UP number emblazoned on my flank, and they were staring at it._

 _I followed Bookworm over to the desk, hating all the eyes on me. "Nice butt," one of the colts snickered._

 _Another colt wearing glasses rose a hoof. "Hey teacher lady! Who's he? Is he one of those…um….what is it? Um…Oh! Queued stallions! Is he?"_

 _Bookworm stared down at the documents on the desk, glancing at the glowing screen of the terminal, "Am I supposed to answer that?" she murmured to herself. "Oh screw it," she shoved the papers to the side, a couple even falling to the floor. "Yeah, he's somepony I queued." she stared at the glasses wearing colt. The same pony that complimented my butt whispered, "Four eyes."_

 _"Hi there," Bookworm turned a smile on the bully. "You have something to say to the class? Because I'll have you know, I also wear glasses. I just happened to leave them on my bedside table after getting interrupted in the middle of my queue with UP."_

 _The bully shut up super quick, his jaw closing tightly. He was biting his cheek. Bookworm could be really mean if she wanted to. That's probably the reason I couldn't stop talking to her when we first met. She had a way with words, always had. I loved that about her._

* * *

Heading down the hill, I felt an unexpected burst of optimism. I thought that with Blitz by my side, to help me find the Guardian, we'd be able to do it no problem. I don't know why he was so scared of that high school, but I'd stick by him. I really did want to help him find Nexus Spark. But first and foremost in my mind was finding the Guardian. I couldn't lose him. I hoped he was okay.

My imagining was acting up again. I was dreading finding him hurt or worse by raiders somewhere. Bloody or beaten or even…dead. I shuddered involuntarily at that thought. That would be so horrible. But no! Not the Guardian! He was too strong and powerful and amazing. He could beat anypony. Those raiders wouldn't bring him down that easily. Right…?

It was a scary prospect, one that probably wasn't such a good one to have in the face of the oncoming danger. We were heading straight into raider territory, on purpose! But I was a bit naive and a lot stupid. I was super confident I'd be able to fight them. Especially if that meant seeing my Guardian again. I was definitely confident that Blitz had given me more ammo for this gun. I lofted the reinforced combat shotgun in front of myself. It was big and heavy, but I held it in my magic securely. Blitz had also told me that his main weapon of choice was a .44 magnum revolver. That was such a cool name!

The high school was the first place on our way to the Fort, in between here and there. We approached the large building. It stretched in either directing with lots of outcroppings. A big sign sat in front of it, the words posted on the a brick foundation. My Pip-Buck informed me:

You have discovered

BITTSBERG GOLDEN OAK HIGH SCHOOL

The brick facade of the school stood proud, barely damaged from the war. There was some scarring and there were areas that had been affected by the blast that had affected the majority of the town. But this building had stood the test of time. I was actually excited to see what secrets it hid inside.

"You ready for this O.J.?" asked Blitz.

"Yeah!" I jumped forward in excitement.

"It's gonna be dangerous. A couple raiders are no big deal. But a whole den of them?" Blitz shook his head as he stared warily at the school front.

He wasn't going to dissuade me. I actually wanted to go in there! It seemed like it would be a fun new place to explore. Golden Oak High School huh? That was such a cool name! "Let's-go-les-go-lesgolesgo!" I shouted over and over, my words blurring into each other.

"Okay!" Blitz chuckled, his mood lightened by my enthusiasm.

Leading me up the stone steps to the front doors, I took the example from him to keep my gun positioned in front of me at all times. I was actually watching him very carefully, just as I would with the Guardian, copying everything in an attempt to learn. He noticed me staring and I turned my face, pressing my ears back and blushing. He rolled his eyes but smiled, reaching up with one hoof to push open one of the doors to the school.

The door creaked as it was pushed open. The squeak hurt my ears. I stumbled over something as we went in and I cried out. At the sound, Blitz instantly turned and slapped a hoof over my mouth. "Hush!"

[HIDDEN]

We turned to see what I'd tripped on, and I gagged. It was another pony, a mare, her wasteland standard outfit ripped and tattered, and stained a orange-brown color. I think I could figure out it was dried blood. She was dead. Her whole face was torn and bloody, the contents of her skull spilling out. Her tongue was sticking out of her muzzle too.

The cake I'd eaten back in the subway tunnels shifted in my stomach, and I tried my best not to be sick. "It's gonna be fine colt, we just gotta keep going. We'll probably see a lot worse than that in there."

"Yeah," I ripped my gaze from the dead pony. "It'll be fine." I was still optimistic. "Let's go."

 _ **(Chapter 16 set for 5/24/17 at 12:00pm**_

 _Omg, I hope those flashback scenes were interesting for ya! I made allusions to Brave New World because I've noticed in FoE there are allusions to 1984. Since those two books go hand in hand in the literary world, I thought, BNW makes a lot of sense for the theme of Stable 28. So there it was. Erotic play. It's also not the first time I've made the allusion XD Last chapter the Overmare said that the words "son, daughter, mother, father" should be curse words._

 _Just so you know, the name I gave to the high school is a reference to the Golden Oak Library, but there's also a high school in Pittsburgh called Keystone Oaks, so I ponified it! Lol!_

 _So anyway, here we go with another adventure with Blitz and O.J. I'm excited to write this next chapter. They're going to be so badass! I'm also planning big stuff with Nexus eventually, but that's gonna come later. Thanks for reading guys! Leave comments XD_

 _See ya later, love ya!)_

 **Brohoof! /)**


	17. Thank You Note

Thank you everyone who's stuck with this story so far. It's been a long journey so I just wanted to take a second to send my appreciation to all my readers. You guys are amazing! It's the readers that really make the story worth it. If I didn't have you guys, what would be the point in writing it? I love all the comments I've gotten so far and I always look forward to reading more. Audience participation means a lot to a creator, whether you're an artist or an author or whatever you create. I do a lot of stuff back and forth, and I'm trying to balance school. I know it's been a crazy year, and I haven't stuck with a good schedule on this chapter update thing. But it's good to know I've got people sticking with it through all the hardships I've faced. Thank you!

* * *

A couple shout outs too!

To **FlamingFoxNinja**. _Foxy, reading your comments literally makes my day every single time. They are so extensive and you really take a look at what you're reading, but you do it in your own personal way. They make me smile, they make me laugh, and I really wanna say how much I appreciate that. You bring a little bit of extra life out!_

To **YoloHoboJoe**. _Yolo, every one of your comments has given me that little boost of motivation. It's encouraging knowing I've got you supporting me. You're a great friend and I'm grateful. I've loved being able to work with you in creating Rebel Heart and using your universe and I love learning more about Kkat's Fallout Equestria. Thank you._

* * *

Every review counts, but it's okay if you don't review a story. Just the fact that you're here reading it means everything. So once again, thank you. Now let's get back to the story XD

 _Love ya,_

 _~Donnieth65_

 **Brohoof /)**


	18. Chapter 16 Action Points

**Chapter 16** Action Points

Inside the high school, a few lamps were set up, and Blitz said they only operated on backup generators that must've been set up by raiders. Otherwise, it was totally dark as soon as we entered the school, and the creak of swinging locker doors totally freaked me out. Blitz actually had to tell me they were called lockers, as I had never seen that many before, and nopony had ever told me what they were called. All in all, the interior of the school was creepy, and it made me jumpy.

Blitz recounted his school days, telling me it was totally okay to be creeped out of the long, dark, empty hallways. He remembered times he'd have to stay after school, usually because he and Nexus were troublemakers and had to serve detentions, and even if the lights were on throughout the school, it was still ominous. His story didn't keep me from jumping at shadows or being startled by the odd sound, but I was glad for the sound of his voice to keep me company.

As we traversed, we came across random miscellaneous items one would normally expect to find in a high school. Though, they were still out of place scattered and littered about. There were lots of books to be found, that was for sure. All were burnt to a blackened crisp, like somepony had thought a big bonfire would be a good idea. Actually, hey! A bonfire sounded like an excellent idea! It would be totally fun. I could just imagine crackling orange flames blazing high…Maybe Blitzy or the Guardian would be open to having one with me. I beamed at the thought.

Stopping to sniff at one of the burnt books, I noticed Blitz pause as well, and I looked up at him. "What are you smiling about?" asked Blitz.

I took a step toward him, that dopey smile still on my face, about to answer, when my hoof kicked something—a charred soccer ball I think—which was sent rolling off. It bumped against something, which began to beep incessantly.

"Shit!" Blitz yelled, then dive bombed toward me. We both hit the ground hard.

"Oof! Hey, what was that for?!" I exclaimed just as a powerful explosion went off, leaving my ears ringing.

Blitz rolled off me and got up, lifted his revolver and aiming down the hall. He took a few steps forward. Meanwhile, I was on my back on the floor, head still buzzing and my body sore from the impact with Blitz. My EFS was flashing a warning now as well. [CAUTION] Me and my friend weren't safe.

I sat up, a little dizzy, and I equipped my combat shotgun. I needed to be by Blitz's side when raiders showed up. We were in this together. In front of me on the compass, Blitz showed up as a green marker. However, a bunch more red markers were popping up, and they were moving all about.

Trotting, I picked up pace to catch up with Blitz and walk beside him. "Shh, there's one right there," he pointed with his gun. I strained my eyes, and sure enough, there was a raider up ahead. I could even hear him muttering.

"Where the buck are ya? Come on out, I won't hurt ya. A lot!"

"He's a meanie," I whispered.

Without warning, Blitz lifted his gun and aimed. Firing, the raider immediately dropped down, his head exploding into bits of brain and gore. His body collapsed.

I stuck my tongue out, "Bleh."

[DANGER]

They knew where we were now, and a few more were coming out of side rooms. We were being shot at, and Blitz threw himself to one side. "Suck it!" he yelled, pulling the stem off a metal apple and lobbing it.

"Grenade!" a bunch of raiders shouted, and I saw a couple divebomb for the floor, putting their hooves over their heads. At the explosion, I saw a raider flying through the air, a black silhouette against the intense orange light.

"My turn Blitzy!" I smiled at him. We exchanged glances as I raised my shotgun. Then I activated S.A.T.S. and everything froze. My vision zoomed in, locking onto the closest raider, who had his head to the floor and butt in the air. I laughed at that. He looked silly.

I queued a few shots for his torso, his head too small a chance to hit. I didn't notice the bar at the bottom right lose points as I added shots. I released, firing the three shells at my target.

"Whoo-hoo!" I whooped as he went flying backward from the force of the large bullets.

"Damn, I forgot you've got a bunch of Stable-Tech equipment," Blitz glanced at me. "Just be sure to watch your AP." he told me.

"Okay!" I beamed.

"You're awfully enthusiastic you know." Blitz chuckled softly, then aimed at our last attacker, firing and putting him down too.

"Wait, what's AP?" I asked him.

He did a double take, glancing at me like a was crazy. "What's AP?" I nodded slowly, unsure why that was a confusing question. Blitz sighed, "Action Points. They tally how much you're capable of doing until you can regain stamina, and they're used in S.A.T.S."

"Oh! Okay!" I was still smiling cheesily.

"Alright, let's keep going. Are there anymore bogies?"

I glanced at the compass, taking note of all the remaining red tick marks. "Oh yeah, lots! But don't worry, it also says hidden."

"Perfect. But that won't be our last battle, so stay vigilant." he moved off, and I followed close behind him.

"Vigilant?" I asked. He shook his head, not answering the question, but laughing instead.

We continued in silence for awhile. Well, as silent as we could get, I couldn't stop myself from humming a sweet tune I'd heard on the radio. Blitz didn't say anything, which was cool since I knew the Guardian would probably be nagging me a bunch.

I didn't know if Blitz even knew where he was going, but I trusted him to lead us through the school. Next thing we knew, we had come to a big cafeteria, tables and seats everywhere, and even another Put a dinner! But the room was full of raiders! They saw us immediately and began firing on us, some of their weapons were semi-automatic, because bullets just rained down with no end.

Blitz flipped a table for us to use for cover, and when we were somewhat safe, he began to reload, stuffing bullets into the spinning chamber. My clip still had plenty, so I popped my head up, activating S.A.T.S. again. I remembered I needed to watch the AP bar, and I didn't shoot as many times. I took a couple raiders out, then had to duck back down.

"Between you and me," Blitz said between bouts of shooting, "we've got this. We make a great team!" he winked at me.

Bullets from the raiders pelted on our table, and it was beginning to look like swiss cheese as it filled with holes. It wasn't strong enough to last as a shield and it was beginning to get torn apart.

"We've gotta go, Blitzy!" I cried out.

"Okay!" he shouted. I saw him toss another grenade, and the shouts we were left with gave us time to find a new source of cover. It also gave me a chance to gain my bearings.

What I saw was horrifying. Raiders were so nasty. When Blitz and I ducked down again, it was all I could do to keep from heaving. All around were piles of gunk and trash and other things I wasn't sure I wanted to identify. Dead things. I remembered back in the Combat Zone, waking up to see the bodies that were strung up and hanging from the ceiling. That's what was here too. Bodies, blood, gore and filth.

"Blitz, h-how can they be like this?"

"It's a dog-eat-dog world, kid. Ponies do what they want. Only few dream of restoring order." Blitz was so casual that it was almost like he was uncaring.

"Few, like the ponies at the Fort?" I asked, gulping.

"Yeah, that's one example."

I shook my head, trying to snap myself out of it. I knew it was too dangerous a situation to become distracted. I'd wind up dead, or worse. So I refocused, then turned and aimed. I had a newfound determination. I wanted to be one of those few who worked to restore what Blitz called order. Because if that meant being like the ponies of the Fort, then I had to do what was right.

I found a new anger against the raiders I'd never known before. I'd never been truly angry before, and it was such a new feeling that it felt like it was burning through me. I let that anger out through the shells in my shotgun, queuing shot after shot until my Action Points were gone and I was completely burned out. I slumped to the ground, groaning and exhausted.

Blitz got up, moving away from me, and he never stopped shooting. Not until they were all down, every raider gone. I watched, feeling numb and unable to move. And then, so worn out from the overwhelming anger, I began to cry. Sobs racked through me, and tears blurred my vision. I'd never been like that. I didn't know what had come over me. And now that it had passed in a wave, it left me broken.

Back came Blitz, and he stared down at me with a look of concern. "Are you okay, Orange Juice?"

"I just…I g-got so a-angry! I've never been like that before. I-I don't ever wanna be like that again." I sniffed, and wiped away my tears.

"Come on, it's gonna be okay. Besides," Blitz turned, looking uncomfortable, "We've still got a ways to go."

"We do?" I stood shakily. I glanced around, hating what I saw. I tried to ignore it, just staring right at Blitz's tail and that's it.

"Yep! We've still got to get through the gym." Blitz went toward the doors at the other end of the cafeteria. "Also, it might be worth grabbing one of those assault rifles and some ammo." Blitz added.

I glanced at an assualt rifle that was in the hoof of a dead raider. "Ew!" I blanched. "No way!" I skipped past it, and headed out into the hall with Blitzfire.

"Suit yourself," he shrugged.

* * *

 _The day UP-26 helped me escape the stable was the most terrifying of my life. I don't think he realized just how scared I had been that entire time. Especially when a disembodied voice started talking to me out of nowhere, scaring me half to death! Plus, I knew nothing of the magic he used. It couldn't even compare to UP-1's creation of our communication spell—which all the unicorns had joined in on now. That didn't match 26's unique abilities._

 _"Hey!" came the voice, and I was so startled that I fell out of my bed._

 _Sitting up, I looked around, thinking it was a ghost, or worse, I was in trouble for something. "Is somepony there?" I asked._

 _"I'm in the vents," replied the voice, and with total fear, my eyes shot to the ventilation shaft above my bed. "It's a long story. Look, it's all I can do to maintain this dual spell just to keep myself here, so listen. They're going to come for you in 30 minutes. The mares are going to tell you that you have twenty-four hours until you are decommissioned."_

 _"What?" I gulped. It was already that time? I began to look around frantically, not knowing what to do._

 _"They're going to kill you," the voice told me. Of course I knew that, deep down, everypony knew that._

 _"I know, but…"_

 _"If you do exactly as I say, they're not going to kill you. But you gotta do exactly as I say. Got it?" the blood drained from my face, and I felt cold, but I nodded, shivering. "Good. There will be a team of four to come get you. As soon as they open the door, jump onto the lead pony. I'll take care of the rest. Do you understand?"_

 _I nodded again._

 _"I'll see you then," and with a tiny, almost inaudible clattering up in the vents, I knew the voice was gone._

 _I jumped to my hooves. Now I was completely on edge. Why was this happening now? I didn't think I was ready. Especially if I was supposed to fight. Plus, I actually didn't know what a decommission truly was, even if I said I did. Even if i felt like I did. We weren't taught to know. It was implied and we could only really guess. It wasn't something that mattered, just something that happened._

 _I had begun pacing without knowing it, and I stared down at my hooves in horror. Okay, so his was really happening. What was I going to do about it was the question. I wasn't really a pony for action. I was more the follower, I did what I was told, even if it made me cry. But now…now it was time to say goodbye._

 _My eyes lingered on the vents, where the pony had been. Where I had a secret stacs of items that didn't really belong to me. I cocked my head like a curious bird, then trotted over and hopped up onto my bed._

 _"Screw it, might as well." I bit my lip as I jumped up to stand on my hind legs, placing my front hooves on the ceiling. The metal was ice cold. I loosened the covering on the vent, shoving my way as far as I could in. I only got my front half in, the rest of me dangled. That was as far as I was gonna get, no matter how small my frame was. I had a round butt. Hehe._

 _Up here in the ducts it smelled like recycled air. I crinkled my nose. But it wasn't the first time I'd been up here. I stared down the shaft, wondering who'd been in here talking to me. But they weren't the reason I'd come up here._

 _I reached for the Dandy-Colt Apples that Lens Cap had let me keep but I had never eaten. I grabbed ahold of the book Bookworm had given me that I had never been able to read. Sure I could understand some words, but Bookworm had always been to afraid to teach me. That was okay. One day I'd come back to these things. I knew they were symbols of the light and love I'd found in the Stable._

 _"It's time to say goodbye," I said to what I could call my only personal belongings. Just saying it out loud made my heart race. "I'll come back, don't you worry. Goodbye doesn't mean forever."_

 _Does saying that make me ignorant?_

 _Just then, I heard a sound, the electronic clicking of the cell door's locks. My eyes widened, and desperately, I began to wriggle backward, trying to get out as fast as possible. The mares were here! "Nonononono!" I cried. I kicked hard with my back legs and shoved with my front._

 _"Ugh!" I plopped down to my bed. I was disoriented, but I snapped to. I replaced the vent cover as fast as I could, then I jumped to the floor. The impact shot sharp pings through all four hooves and up my legs. But though my heart felt ready to burst through my chest, and my whole body trembled, I had taken a stance and was prepared to leap. I bit my lip as the door made that electronic hissing sound and opened._

 _I sprang, a flash of orange that blurred through the air. I yelled as I went, not really caring which mare I landed on. Two of them went down like bowling pins, and the other two shrieked, but I had the element of surprise. I was punching at the mare underneath me, completely scared and fueled by an energy that pumped through me. I think sometime way later I found out it was called adrenaline._

 _Then bullets went flying. The two mares I hadn't knocked down had been preparing to strike me with batons, but suddenly, blood splattered and they both collapsed. I gasped, not quite believing my eyes._

 _Next thing, a red unicorn stallion came galloping toward the barrage. He was older now, but I recognized him as the pony just one year older than me who'd always stood up for me during our school days. Me and him had always had a special bond, I kinda looked up to him as an older brother if I thought about it. In my head, I was thinking, 'Isn't he dead?' but what came out was, "You shot them! With bullets!"_

 _26 creased his brows, but shook his head, "Yeah, that's kinda how it works. Now, we need to go. Quickly."_

 ** _(Chapter 16.5 posted 7/12/17 4:30pm CT_**

 _Hey, I hope we got some good action here. I literally wrote all this on notebook paper over the course of a couple days and then worked my butt off to type it out in 2 hours just now. Sadly, it's not complete, there's still more to Chapter 16 to come. I'm planning to finish up with the high school, and something's gonna happen in the gym. I'm so sorry I'm gonna be disappearing. I will try to work on my home computer as much as possible if my parents let me. But, I'll be back. Like OJ said, Goodbye doesn't mean forever. Love you guys and hope you enjoyed the chapter!_

 **Brohoof! /)**


	19. Chapter 16-5

**Chapter 16.5**

It smelled nasty out in the hall. Like somepony had left something rotting. The tiles under my hooves were greasy with some kind of black coating. It looked like this area of the school hadn't seen much attention in a very long time. All over the brick walls was graffiti and markings that freaked me out. I stared as we passed, at some of the phrases painted up there.

 _Death to the Sun_

 _Fuck this, fuck you, fuck Equestria too_

 _Anarchy rules haha :)_

"B-Blitzy, why do those things say that?" I was shocked at the profanity. It wasn't like this in the Stable. Everything was clean and orderly.

Blitzfire paused for a second, sighing deeply. "It's because they don't care. They think they can do whatever they want. And they can. Nopony is stopping them."

"What does anarchy mean?"

"It's just that, that they can do what they want because nopony is stopping them. No government, no law, chaos."

"Oh," I felt the blood drain from my face in a rush. "That's really scary." I gulped, moving on in a jolt. I wanted out of this hall now. All these crude sayings painted up, I didn't like it. I was surrounded by it and I felt crushed.

I was walking so fast that I started to surpass Blitz, and he gave me a concerned look. "Bud, slow down or you may accidently walk on a trap or—" almost as though his words had jinxed it, I felt a tension against my foreleg before it broke, and when I looked down, I realized I had snapped a string with my leg. "Whazzat?" I asked right before Blitz threw himself on me with such force that I lost my breath with a cry and an "Oof!"

We crashed to the floor just as a huge fiery explosion tore through the air. The sudden bright light hurt my eyes, and tears formed as I was blinded for a few seconds. I cried out, but I realized quickly enough that I wasn't worse for wear. Blitzfire was above me, yelping like a hurt pup and squirming. He flopped off me, clutching at his leg with one hoof, rubbing at his back vigorously with the other.

"Celestia! Oh Celestia!" he was moaning. I sat up, trying to see what was wrong, when suddenly, bullets started flying. One grazed me and I jumped, smashing forward into Blitz. That made him scream louder.

"Oh noo! I'm so sorry, Blitz, what's wrong?" tears were forming in my eyes, and I felt terrible. Plus, the pain from the flesh wound on my back was burning like fire that shot through me. It stung bad.

Blitz was crying and shaking his head. "J-just get the buck out of here Orange Juice. Hurry, get to the gym."

"No! I w-won't leave you." I shook my head right back at him.

"Celestia dammit, don't be stubborn, now is not the time. High tail it kid."

"Mm-mm," I refused.

"Fuck! My leg is broken, I've probably got third degree burns, it hurts like tartarus—" I put my hoof on his lips, interrupting him. Then I reached for his hooves, helping him up as fast as I could, not thinking of the pain it caused him. "AUGHHH, FUCK ME." He shouted, and a tear rolled down his cheek.

I propped him over myself. He was unstable, but I had a firm hold on him. Next I levitated my shotgun up, shooting wildly. I had no time for S.A.T.S. I just had to go. Me and him began to hobble along, limping and hopping. I was in pain, but judging by the sounds of Blitz's grunts and moans, he was in a lot worse. There was also blood. Lots of it.

 _Ping, ping, ping._ Bullets bounced off of lockers, but I think I was doing good holding the raiders off. That's when a bullet hit me right in the leg. "Gah!" I yelped. I almost dropped Blitz and fell, but I used a little extra magic to wrap around the entry wound in an attempt to stop the blood flow. It took a lot of concentration to hold two spells at once, one a levitation spell, the other like an immaterial bandaid. But it was working. The blood that had started trickling down my leg had been staunched for now.

My vision was blurry, but thankfully it was tears clouding my vision and not fatigue. Well, as thankful as I could be, the tears were from pain. But right now, I think even I could be happy that I was in pain and not worse. I might be stupid, I can admit that, but I'm not completely unaware.

It didn't matter how much they shot at us, I was gonna get us out of this. I barged through them like a bull. They never stopped shooting and I never stopped running. It hurt a lot. But I think it would hurt me a lot more if I couldn't save Blitz. I had to get us out of this. But I didn't know what I was gonna do with so many monsters all over the place.

Monsters. My vision was growing black, like some kind of dark fog. I was scared out of my mind, but I pressed on through the black forest. I couldn't even feel the pelting of bullets against my flesh anymore. And from some far away place I heard somepony yell. That's when I swayed, losing my balance and collapsing.

Above me was some kind of netting, swaying gently. It was like an invitation, and I felt tired. Why not drift off? I knew I would feel better. So I dropped my head, doing just that, but somepony appeared above me. A silhouette draped in shadows.

"O.J. You have to get up."

"Go away," I muttered. "Why won't you let me sleep?"

Something cold touched my lips, and I cried out. Then a liquid began trickling into my mouth and down my throat. It was intrusive and unexpected and I began to splutter and cough. But light and feeling were both coming back, so I forced my head up and began taking long dredges of whatever the lifegiving water was.

"There you go," whispered Blitz, who I found was above me, his hips pressing firmly against my sides.

"A-are you better now Blitzy?" I gulped, fearful.

"Ha! Not by a long shot, but I'm as good as I'm gonna get." He was chuckling and I didn't understand why.

Sliding off of me, he let out a groan. I was feeling much better now, so I sat up and glanced around. We were in a huge room, the roof high above and—unsurprisingly—strung up dead ponies.

"Can I throw up Blitzy?" I asked, feeling queasy.

Beside me, the stallion had rolled to his side and he was staring into the room we'd found ourselves in with a sort of dazed expression. "We've rolled into the gym."

I eyed his legs as he struggled to get up, noticing that his right hind leg was at a strange angle. He collapsed again and I winced. It hurt just watching him.

"Give it up my little ponies!" came a cruel voice. "If you give in, maybe we won't kill ya, eh? How does that sound? We'll have fun instead!"

Reminded of Tide and certain memories haunting me, I called out "I don't wanna have fun!" That wasn't very smart, I knew, but I was really disoriented.

Blitz began desperately shushing me, but it was too late. The raider came into view, looming over us. He was wearing a wide brimmed hat, and pointing a gun at me. I really didn't wanna die. I burst into tears, helpless.

Blitz next to me gulped, and I saw the lump move in his throat. He was just as scared as I was. We were both lost puppydogs, and we were in this together. Just as I thought it was over, that the raider was gonna pull the trigger and decommission me, the worst thing I could've imagined happened: A giant claw burst through the raider, right through his middle, spraying me in guts, blood and flesh.

My eyes went so wide I thought they must pop out. Then my stomach began convulsing and I rolled to my side, vomit spewing violently from my belly. I saw the thing that had split the raider in two now standing above me and Blitz, but still I heaved. It stood on two legs and had the face of a wolf with glowing green eyes. Its feet were large claws, the ones on his arms were even greater than that. I heard Blitz breath one thing:

"Timber-claw."

 ** _(Chapter 17 posted 7/14/17 11:30am CT_**

 _Omg, I'm back! I hope the rest of chapter 16 is good lol. I hope you like the surprise at the end! Ok, love ya. Be back as soon as I can. Leave reviews lol x3)_

 **Brohoof! /)**


	20. Chapter 17 Sweet Escape

**Chapter 17** Sweet Escape

Guardian

" _It's the legendary Guardian! Owoooooooo!"_ Cried the voice on little hammy. " _Ha! Just kidding. It's your resident disk jockey here, DJ Pon3. Hey, hey, hey, doesn't mean I don't have the latest news. You see, there's been a sorta fight that broke loose recently. Would've thought it was just a small band of raiders, huh? Think again. Eh, good ol Bittsberg, what can I say? The Guardian,_ and _his new Puppydog went and got themselves captured_ —

"He really needs to be more up to date." I grumbled and switched the radio off.

"Aww, just when I was getting into it!" Pumpkin Spice complained.

"I know you're worried about him, ol' Buck." Cherry patted me on the back. It's not like it really mattered, I knew I had failed.

"We've searched everywhere for him! Why can't we bucking find him?" I stared around at all my friends, the ponies who wanted to help but couldn't. This was on me, just like so many things were always on me.

"It's been a few days now Buck, the general is getting fed up. He's done wasting resources."said Cherry.

Looking around at all of them, I knew they were all done wasting resources. Even if it was for me. It was a strain on our ordinance, I could see that in the way Cherry worked his jaw each day due to stress. It drained our medical supplies, it was apparent in the way Lily's eyes were more watery than usual.

No, as always, it was a task left to me. The Puppydog was the Guardian's responsibility, nopony else's. I don't know how I could've lost sight of that. I stood, and all eyes were on me.

"Where are you going dumplin'?" Lily inquired. Her gaze was intent on me as I stopped momentarily at the door.

"To the locker room."

* * *

 _"I really do hate you, you know?"_

 _"And you're a pain to me as well."_

 _The sheets were softer than any other I had ever had the displeasure to lie in. Like silky goodness against my fur, offering a falsehood of protection But that ocean was a bed of warmth, lust and passion. The scent of musk mingled with perfume filled my nostrils. I was servicing a certain mare. Our mistress. The Overmare._

 _My muzzle was against her neck, and I nipped playfully, just as she liked it. Her face was up, and she was breathy. We were a tangle of limbs, locked in the dance we knew so well. I knew how to give her what she wanted, and as I was told, I was the only one she had no need for bindings. She knew a different temptation with me._

 _Ironically, it was with her when I had the most control. At least in bed with the Overmare, I could take charge, show her who was boss. But I knew it would not last. The designation on my flank was EP-25. My time was fast approaching, and I still had a promise to uphold._

 _I positioned her underneath me, still biting at her neck. She shifted against me, wanting it. I would give it to her, one last time, and I would give it to her hard. She cried out as I thrust into her._

 _"You enjoy this, don't you?" I grunted with a huff, my nose against hers now_

 _She gave me fervid kisses against my mouth, whispering on my lips, "You enjoy it too" she bit my lip, pulling at it as I continued to invade her. There was fire in her ruthless eyes._

 _Our tongues locked, and for a moment, neither of us could speak. We could only breath as we lost ourselves in this moment. I was thrilled by it yet hated the thought of it at the same time. I was disgusted at myself for being so lustful of the one I wanted dead the most. She'd hurt me in a way I could never forget, and it barely compared to the way she hurt the rest of the Stable's colts._

 _"I admit I enjoy the control, and you love the temptation. Isn't that the beauty of it, Overmare?"_

 _"Ha!" she laughed in my face as she ran her hooves through my deep blue mane. "The true beauty is that I still hold all the power."_

 _"How so?" I asked with a smirk as I thrust and made her squeal in pleasure. Music to my ears._

 _I felt her hot breath against me. "I love how you don't even know what's coming for you tomorrow." I froze on the spot. "Oh, keep going ol' Buck." The blood drained from my face at a name I hadn't heard uttered in a very long time. "We play a dangerous game. It's wonderful how all this time you thought you had control of me. Didn't you ever wonder why I never tied you up?"_

 _I followed instructions, dread filling me. In one quick breath, I had lost every ounce of control I had ever managed to grasp. I wonder if this is how Thimble felt as he lie on that bed, staring at me and begging for my help. Now it was my turn. Only difference was, I didn't have anypony to beg for help._

 _We finished with a sly grin on her face. In the end, she had won. I was left defeated in my cell. Yet…it couldn't be over that fast. I was stubborn as a mule. Thimble and I made a promise to each other. I wasn't about to break that promise. It was my responsibility. Everything was on my shoulders._

 _I had to escape._

* * *

Orange Juice

"We have to escape." Blitzy beside me could barely whisper.

Me? I was still puking up my guts. I was sobbing too, all that was coming up now was gross streams of fluids that burned the insides of my throat. I felt like I could barely breath. I was choking for air, but every time I sucked in a breath it all came back out again even worse.

I knew the monster was still there. I knew it wasn't going to wait for me to stop being sick. There wasn't a thing I could do but hope Blitz could do something. I was able to collect myself long enough to glance his way. He had struggled to his hooves and now he was facing off with the tall two legged monster he had called a timber-claw. There were tears in his eyes and I knew he must be in pain. He could barely stand on his leg but it didn't appear broken anymore.

As for me, my mouth and throat tasted funky. I kept licking at the roof of my mouth in an attempt to get the yucky taste from my mouth. But the acid taste of the vomit wouldn't go away. I had to ignore it. I wasn't sure what Blitz was gonna do, but I had to be by his side when he did it.

I stood up, but losing my balance, I stumbled forward, right into the awaiting grasp of an angry monster. He snapped his jaws in excitement. Spraying me in spittle as he scooped me up by the scruff of the neck, flinging me violently. I cried out and I he a Blitz shouting, right before I was tossed through the air.

Landing painfully against the far wall, I moaned. Blitz had warned me it would be dangerous going, but we weren't even out of the school and I had already taken a beating. I just wanted to go home! I was scared, really really scared.

The timber-claw was making its move on Blitz and he was completely defenseless. I didn't know what to do to help him. I scrambled to get up, and that's when my hoof hit something cold and metallic. Right next to me was one half of the raider that had been the timber-claw's first victim. And in the dead raider's hoof was his gun.

I blanched, feeling as though I might start heaving again. It was gross to think I might have to take a belonging from a dead pony, even if that dead pony was a ruthless monster who'd wanted the two of us dead just minutes ago. I didn't want to touch him. To get any of his blood or anything else on me. Then with utter horror I realized I already had all that and more on me.

"Eep!"

I gagged, almost starting to dry heave again. I quickly grabbed the gun and without thought I turned and fired in the direction of the beast. I heard a tremendous roar, and I opened my eyes to see the timber-claw running toward me. I hadn't even realized I had my eyes closed but I shut them fast when I saw what was coming after me. I did not, however, let go of that trigger.

"Buck, O.J.!" I opened one eye to peek out at Blitz, who was leaping through the air. He toppled into the beast, and in a splay of claws and limbs, the pair went flying. At this point, my newly acquired weapon had run out of bullets and was clicking with irritation at me. I looked down at the rifle, hooves trembling.

Blitz was throwing everything he had at our attacker now. I had never seen so much enter come out of him before. With all his might he was punching and kicking, never allowing the timber-claw a single moment to strike back. I watched in awe, not having any other ideas as to what to do.

Blitz cried out, and suddenly the tables were turned once more. The timber-claw had managed to flip Blitz up and over off of itself. It was now atop the stallion, preparing to lash out with an upraised claw, and they were as long as the rifle I held!

I started to scream, "Noooo!" and I ran forward as fast as I could. I had my weapon raised, and as soon as I was near, I smashed down with as much force as my strength would allow.

"Arp!" yelped the timber-claw as the gun went _crack_ against its head. At that, it's neck promptly snapped, and it collapsed.

I breathed heavily now, eying Blitz warily. I was worn out, and felt ready to collapse. The stallion shoved the monster off him, and clambered to a standing position. He returned my gaze, but his eyes were warm.

"Come on," he said, "let's get the buck out of here."

* * *

The door wasn't too far from where we stood, and Blitz turned full circle and kicked it with his good leg. He was still limping on the other. The doors smashed open, and good old Blitz gave one of his rare smiles. "Gotta appreciate a good buck, even if it was just one leg." I smiled with tired eyes up at him.

Unsurprisingly, as soon as we were outside and down the steps there, I collapsed to the ground. It was nighttime out, and after all that, I just couldn't do it anymore. I was on the verge of passing out now, and I stared up at Blitz, my eyes pleading.

"That's convenient," he grumbled, and moved off without me.

Oh no! What was he doing? Where was he going? He can't leave me here! I was helpless and clueless. I would've died in there without him.

I began whimpering loudly, tearing up at the thought of Blitz leaving me here all alone. But then suddenly there he was again, his white furred hooves in front of my nose, and there was that cool vest he always wore. The silver and white revolver strapped to his left foreleg that was omnipresent.

"Come on Orange Juice, I found a couple sleeping mats." said Blitzfire. I sniffled and lifted my head. "You must be tired."

I nodded, "Mhmm…"

He helped me up, and we went limping over to the beds. I fell over as soon as he let go of me. I was trying I to keep my eyes open now, blinking away sleep. I was frightened. But the presence of Blitz helped chase that away. He laid down right next to me, and for a moment, we locked eyes.

He cleared his throat and worked his jaw. "You saved my life you know." he said.

"I did?" I swallowed, but my mouth was dry.

"Yeah. You refused to leave me behind, and then you bashed that timber-claw's head in."

"I-I can't lose you Blitzy." I didn't know why I was stuttering.

He reached toward me, his hooves grabbing and pulling me close. "I'm glad then Orange. It makes me think I still have a chance with Nexy." his voice was soft and his face was getting close to mine.

"You deserve a chance." I whispered. Our eyes sparkled and neither of us could look away. Then our noses booped and I lost my breath.

"Thank you."

* * *

Guardian

 _Inside my cell, I was restless. Time to enact my plan. My sweet escape. I pulled out a map of the Stable, which had been hiding beneath my bed. It wasn't hard to recall how I had obtained it. My mind flashed back to the memory._

 _"Ooh, EP-25! You know just how I like it." the cream colored mare moaned like she was in heat. I was good at drawing those sounds from them._

 _"I know I do. But do you know what I like?"_

 _"What's that?"_

 _"Birthday presents."_

 _Her brows furrowed and she looked irritated, "Yeah yeah, I know what I promised. But first you have to do something for me."_

 _"You know I will," I grunted._

 _"Good," her lips grew into a sadistic smile and she pushed me away. I lay staring at her from the bed as she went to the closet across the room. She came back wearing a strap-on around her waist._

 _"Oh boy." I eyed the toy with disgust. Then I glared at the mare. "You know my stance on that." I growled._

 _"Yeah, I do. And you know my stance on aiding a criminal."_

 _"Yeah…I do." I echoed her words._

 _I got down and turned my back on her. Staring at the wall, I placed my front hooves on the bed and lifted my tail, preparing myself both physically and mentally. Submitting myself to her is how I got the map and the password from her. All the while, I told myself it was for Thimble._

 _Now I sat here on the cold floor of my cell, a map I wasn't supposed to have in front of me. All we had ever been was controlled and abused and oppressed. It was time to change that. My promise was to escape. My promise was to open that door and start a new adventure. For him._

 _"Time to go."_

 _My cell door opened just as I was done pulling myself into the vent above my bed. Apparently I was due for decommission today._

 _"Sorry to burst your bubble, Overmare." I snickered as I army crawled through the ducts._

 _I had my path memorized. The map was emblazoned on my brain. I knew exactly how I needed to get to the door. It wasn't going to be easy. The ducts didn't go all the way there. I was going to have to drop down in a security wing armory._

 _I wasn't nervous. This was in my nature. I'd been up to trouble since the day I was born. I was smarter than the other colts from my experience and better prepared. There would be a fight, and I was determined to win._

 _I popped the cover off the vent in the armory. It clattered with a reverberating clang to the floor. I dropped down into the room._

 _This wasn't a bad plan at all. I chuckled in delight as I stared at the walls lined with row after row of weaponry. I went toward a rack of pistols._

 _Only to have my path blocked by a mare in Security garb. I wouldn't have been too concerned about her, if she'd not been a zebra!_

 _I reared back on my hind legs, startled and whinnying. I might not be well educated, but it was muvh better than most stallions. So I knew about zebras. Thay were the enemy. They had killed us all. Or tried to._

 _It took me a few seconds to realize that she was merely a pony that looked like a zebra. Almost harmless, but she was still Security._

 _"What, exactly, are you doing down here?" the mare demanded._

 _"Oh, I dunnno, how about avoiding execution?"_

 _She rose a skeptical brow at me. "Execution? Don't you mean—"_

 _"Decommission? Yeah, I know what the word means. Does that surprise you," I leaned toward her, smirking and reading her badge with the ease of any mare, "Lieutenant Lens Cap?"_

 _"You read too!?" Her eyes were saucers._

 _I was so close to her now, and I knew she was intimidated. But she wasn't my intent. I reached behind her, quickly snatching a gun from the rack. I pointed it at her as I backed towards the door._

 _"Remember me, my name's Buck!"_

 _Surprisingly, she let me go._

* * *

 _I made my way as fast as I could now to the tunnel that I knew would lead me to that giant gear door. I could taste freedom. But it was never that easy. If I didn't know that, then I was a fool. I was met by a team of Security staff, batons and guns all meant for me._

 _I didn't hesitate, immediately lifting my pistol and activating S.A.T.S. Yeah, that was a function of the Pip-Buck that was technically blocked on the stallions'. But guess what? I'm not an ordinary stallion. Heh. Hacking hadn't been easy though._

 _I aimed and then it was my turn to queue up one of them. Ha! I then let off my stream of bullets, taking them out one by one. I saw no pleasure in it, but it was necessary. My path was cleared, but I still had a trail of mares on my tail. No surprise there._

 _I made it to the tunnel, opening the door, and then shooting the panel so they couldn't open the door and follow. At least not easily, but by then it would be too late. By then I'd be gone._

 _There was the gear door, as it always had been, just as though it had been waiting for me. Perhaps it was. Maybe it was meant to be this way. Thimble should've been by my side._

 _I stood up to the control panel and it stared back at me. The time had come. I would fulfill my promise. I flipped open the glass case and inserted the cord from my Pip-Buck. The screen popped up a prompt for the password. I typed it in._

 _CMC-BFF-4EVR_

 _I lifted my hoof to press the big red button on the yellow control panel. It hovered inches from it. But I stopped, hesitating so I could look up at the door again. The number 28 that was painted on up there looked back like it was passing judgement. But what was the verdict I wondered. I stopped taking so long to think about it and I moved my hoof to press the button._

 _"Stop!" I heard the dreaded voice of the Overmare. I turned to see her making her way from another tunnel that'd previously been unnoticeable. Blast! I'd forgotten about the office tunnel. No matter._

 _"Why should I?" I snapped. Finally she and her security detail appeared from the tunnel, into the dirt pit and blocking my way._

 _"For many reasons. One, you're breaking Stable-Tech law, two, you're due for decommission, and three, most importantly, the radiation out there would kill all of us!"_

 _I narrowed my eyes. Was she serious? "Oh buck you! I'd rather risk death at my own hooves and taking you with me in the process than coming quietly."_

 _"Suit yourself. Because I have to protect this Stable."_

 _"No, you just have to protect your power that you have over this Stable." and then before she had the chance to click her tongue at her guards I activated S.A.T.S. and took all three of them out. She was left standing in the middle of the three ponies I had just killed._

 _I smashed my hoof down on the red button, feeling a little sick. The Overmare had done this to me, but she controlled my world no more. An alarm sounded, a continuous Arnt, Arnt, Arnt sound. Along with that was a spinning red light as the big hammer drove forward along its track and clicked into the door. The gear spun, being taken from its long time socket. Then, it rolled to the side, revealing the bones of an old world._

 _It took my breath away. I almost couldn't believe my eyes. This was better than story books. I backed up slowly, moving to the metal stairs carefully. This felt unreal, like time had slowed to a crawl. I trotted past the Overmare, who stood with her mouth agape._

 _"I've never actually seen it before." she sounded almost normal. Like she wasn't a sadistic bitch. "It's surprising."_

 _I eyed her, "And yet, I think you knew there wasn't radiation."_

 _She made eye contact with me, and then scoffed, "Surprisingly ugly. Go! Get out of my sight so I can close the damned door."_

 _It was the first and only order from her that I was glad to follow. I galloped out of there, leaving her in the dust. I was glad to finally be out of there. More than that, I had fulfilled my promise to Thimble. I had survived for him. Now I just had to keep surviving._

 _No more dangerous games._

 ** _(Chapter 18 posted 7/25/17 11:00am CT_**

 _Wow, I'm back, and in two days! lol_

 _This chapter got really intense! So much good stuff for ya here and omg, more backstory for the Guardian. I had a lot of fun writing the scene between him and the Overmare in the first scene. He got played hard! Damn. No wonder he's so somber in the present time._

 _Hey, for those of you into Fallout, the timber-claw is a reference to a death claw. Damn! XD like the surprise that I had in store in the gym? Good, lol._

 _So yeah, that snuggle there between OJ and Blitz. Well, I was rereading previous chapters and I started to see a connection. I wonder if you guys have seen that too, because I started to ship them. Lol x3. We'll see where that goes.._

 _Okay, I'm glad to be posting again. I forgot how fun this story is to write. Thanks guys! Love ya! Leave your comments XD)_

 **Brohoof! /)**


	21. Chapter 18 Last Supper

**Chapter 18** Last Supper

Orange Juice

When I woke up, I found myself all alone. I gasped, jolting up and looking around desperately for Blitzy. Thankfully, he wasn't too far away. He sat with his back to me, hooves close to the pavement of the drive behind the school.

I got up and walked to him, wondering what he was doing. I saw the revolver in his hoof. He was stroking it gingerly, staring off into the distance. I looked, following his gaze to the horizon. The sun was just coming up now, painting everything orange.

"I shouldn't have done that last night." said Blitz. He didn't move an inch, and for a second, I didn't realize he was talking to me.

"Do what?" I tilted my head. He finally looked me in the eyes.

"Celestia, look at those eyes." he smiled at me, looking between my two mismatched eyes. I frowned, unsure why he was looking at me like that.

"Do what Blitzy?" I whined like a puppy, really not getting it.

"When I…cuddled you…and I tried to kiss you."

"But you can do that. Right?" my heart was beating fast like a racehorse, and I had no idea why. _Why does he make me feel like this? It makes no sense._

"I _can_ do that? Ok, now I really need to know what is wrong with Stable 28." Blitz had his eyes narrowed, and I was confused.

"I thought you didn't want to know about my stable."

"I changed my mind."

"O-okay," and I took a deep breath.

* * *

 _The door to my cell opened, jarring me out of another bored stupor. I trained my eyes on the red security mare who was walking in, trying to focus again. I had a little strand of drool dripping down my muzzle. "Uhhh," I groaned, trying to say hi. I don't know why I was so tired today._

 _"Hey there UP-25," grinned Tide, and when I finally recognized her I snapped fully awake shooting up to all fours like I was possessed. I admit it, I'm scared to death of her._

 _"Hi there Tide," I tried a smile. My lips shook._

 _"Guess what," she grinned, staring at me. I hoped it wasn't another queue._

 _"Yeah?"_

 _"I'm giving you a special surprise. Tonight, you'll get your final dinner, courtesy of yours truly." she swept a hoof toward herself._

 _"A final dinner?"_

 _"Yeah," she turned to go. "Just thought I'd let you know."_

 _She left me there shaking, but she hadn't lied to me. She came again that night. I was led to her chambers, where a little dinner was set, some candles flickering at the center of the table. Another stallion, he was a mist blue, kinda gray, no horn. He sat at the table too, looking up as Tide and I entered._

 _"This'll be special." Tide snickered. I actually felt a lot better with another stallion here._

 _Apparently it was the opposite for the EP. He frowned, looking angrily between me and Tide. "What is this?"_

 _"Feisty, huh? That's why I've always liked you." Tide was giggling. "Why don't you eat a sandwich? And drink the wine? You should honestly be counting yourselves lucky. It's not like I'm this nice often." she winked._

 _"There's a catch, you're never this nice," said the stallion. He took a tentative sip from his glass. Following his example, so did I. It's not like I'd never had wine before. Stallions got to have a little at parties every once in awhile, and it was never very flavorful. The mares saved those wines for themselves._

 _A few minutes passed where it was just a tense silence. I nibbled quietly at my sandwich, just bread, a couple slices of ham and something else with a tiny bit a flavor. It was sadly, the best thing I'd ever had. Meanwhile, the stallion and Tide had a staring contest. He glared but she was smiling seductively._

 _Then his eyelids began to droop. "I knew it…" he said. "What are you gonna do?"_

 _Tide eyed me as I began to drift off too. I was soo tired. I opened my mouth wide, yawning, my tongue lapping the roof of my mouth. Tide smirked, "You were right about there being a catch. I'm not nice just to be nice. I think when you two wake up, we'll be having a little fun."_

 _Everything began to fade, and I could barely keep my eyelids open. They were bricks, and thick as paste. "Uhhh," I moaned, slumping forward. I had no control over my body. I saw EP-25 trying to say something to Tide, but he too fell forward. Then I blacked out._

* * *

 _I blinked my eyes open, where I found myself lying in a comfortable bed. Then I noticed somepony was with me, their arms wrapped tightly around me. My brows creased, confused. Then the stallion woke up._

 _"The buck?!" he jolted away from me. Both of us sat up, staring at each other._

 _"Isn't he cute?" Tide appeared out of nowhere, startling me. I jumped, falling to my back._

 _"Wha—why—um?"_

 _"Well, go on," Tide shoved the EP stallion, and he was now above me, each of his hooves on either side of me. I looked up into his eyes, feeling really really uncertain. He was looking down at me like he couldn't quite figure out what to make of me. Finally, he spoke, "Y-yeah…he's cute….in a femboy sorta way."_

 _"Hehe," I heard Tide giggle, "really?"_

 _"Yeah," EP nodded slowly, and a blush spread on his cheeks._

 _Tide was suddenly right next to us, "Well, guess what? I heard you've been saying some things."_

 _"Wh-what things?" he stared down at me and I gave him a shy smile. He slowly and carefully touched a hoof to my chest, rubbing gingerly._

 _"Oh, that you don't enjoy the mares as much as you think you should. That you said you wondered what another stallion would be like."_

 _The stallion's eyes widened, and his hoof stopped moving. "Is that why we're here?"_

 _Tide was smiling, "Oh yeah, hotstuff. I gave ya what ya asked for. I wanna see ya get to it." I didn't like Tide's smile, and I suddenly didn't like the way the stallion was looking at me either._

 _He put a hoof beneath my head, lifting me up to be near him. Holding me, he whispered tenderly, "I promise, it's going to be okay. I would never hurt you."_

 _I nodded shakily, opening my mouth to say that I understood. My words were interrupted when ever so slowly, he put his muzzle against mine, kissing me. Another stallion. Was kissing me!_

 _It was slowly at first, like he was scared. I stared deep into his sweet caramel eyes. He was so nervous and so focused. I didn't know how I felt, but my heart beat quickly and I didn't feel scared. For the first time ever, I felt safe. We were forced to do what we did for the mares. But with this earth stallion holding me like he never wanted to let me go, I knew nothing bad could happen to me._

 _So I parted my lips even more to allow for him, showing him that I was okay with this. I wasn't afraid. I heard Tide giggling, for her, we were putting on a show. I didn't care. I was slowly becoming lost in this other stallion. It felt so right._

 _His tongue snaked its way in, playing with my tongue. I blushed hard, my cheeks burning embers. I tried to play back. That's when he became more passionate. His hooves started stroking my back, and messing with my mane. It felt really nice, and I shifted against him, trying to kiss him better._

 _"Ooh, that's the spirit," said Tide._

 _I felt my thingie getting hard, and I broke away to look down at myself, embarrassed. EP put a hoof on my cheek. "Don't be nervous, I've got you." he was growing hard too. It made me so confused._

 _He laid me down, on my back, saying, "So you can see me. So you know you're safe." I nodded, not saying a word. He was gonna service me._

 _He grabbed my legs, lightly, not wanting to hurt me. I watched him the whole time, pouting. I still had mixed feelings. But Tide was right there. We had to do this. At least I knew I'd be comfortable with this stallion. Tide would've hurt me. She already had once._

 _His shaft touched me, pushing against me. "You ready?"_

 _"Mhm…" I nodded with a whimper. He started pushing in. "Ahh," I gasped, never expecting how it would feel._

 _"You okay?" the stallion blushed with a frown._

 _"Y-yeah," I squeaked. "I um…" I bit my lip, "I think I like it." that made my cheeks go as red as ever. My whole face in fact._

 _"Just tell me to stop if it starts to hurt."_

 _"I will."_

 _After that, he commenced to push all the way in, then continue on, back and forth, faster and faster. The entire time, he huffed and puffed, breathing heavily. The entire time, I moaned and squeaked like a mare. And the entire time, I think…I liked it._

* * *

There were tears in my eyes when I finished my story. "Holy Faust," Blitz breathed when I stopped talking. He was looking at me with a storm cloud of emotions in his eyes. "Now I feel even worse for trying to kiss you." he gulped.

"It's always been like that. One thing after the other. In my stable, we learned to provide service. Nothing in me thinks what you did was wrong. But nothing in me thinks what the mares do to us is right. Blitzy, with you, it felt right."

I looked at him, hoping he would answer. I wanted this to be okay. We had been through so much together. I didn't understand the way I was feeling about him, I didn't know why just looking at him set my heart to racing. But I wanted him to say it was all okay.

Blitz stared at me, his face blank. I was scared, so scared what he would say. And when he opened his mouth, my mismatched puppydog eyes pleaded with him. "O.J., I don't know. I'm over 200 years old. You're what, 10? 11?"

I creased my brows, "I'll have you know, I am 20 years old!"

"I g-guess that's a little better. I still don't know." Blitz started to look away, but I couldn't give up that easily. I was stubborn. It made my heart pound like I was a drum, but there was only one way I could think to convince him. I guess we both needed told, huh?

I got up, moved forward, and pecked him hard on the lips. Nothing too fancy, I wasn't brave enough to push the kiss, but it did leave his face red as an apple grenade. I beamed brightly at him. "You can't tell me it isn't gonna be okay."

"How are you so much smarter than me?"

"I'm not smarter than you!" I creased my eyebrows in confusion. I don't why he thinks I'm smart. I'm dim as a…I don't actually know what, which only proves my point.

"Come'ere," Blitz grinned. I went to him, and he drew me into an embrace. "What would I do without you?"

I giggled into his shoulder, "Funny, I was gonna ask you the same thing."

He let go of me, smiling like I'd never seen him smile before. I think he was genuinely happy, and that made me overjoyed. I bounced up, "Come on Blitzy! We made it past the school! We can go find the Guardian now!" I was super excited, and shouting really loudly.

"Yeah we can." He got up, eyes sparkling.

* * *

We had been walking for a little while, and Blitzy had gone back to being silent. I was okay with that. That was just his way of being him. I kept myself occupied on our walk through the city outskirts. I had found a rock and a toy car as we passed through a quite abandoned neighborhood. I noticed Blitzy eying the mailboxes as we passed, but he had better restraint than I did.

"Vroom vroom!" I shouted as we went along the road. We passed broken down cars, but my car worked just fine. Especially with rock driving.

 _Boulder._

"Oh, sorry, your name is Boulder?"

 _Yep. Don't erode it._

"What does erode mean?" I giggled, but Boulder didn't respond.

"Erode?" Blitz craned his neck. "Why, where'd that come from?"

"Just a word that popped into my head. I think I remember hearing it somewhere."

 _Probably Bookworm,_ Boulder said.

"Oh. Well, it's just when a rock gets worn down until it's really tiny. Until it's basically dirt."

"Ooh!" I nodded my head up and down. We continued moving, and I dragged my car along. "You know, it's so weird being out here."

"Out here? You mean, out in the wastes?"

I nodded, "Yeah. I thought I would be in Stable 28 forever. I thought I would never leave. That it wasn't even possible. But 26 proved me wrong."

"Yeah? I can relate to that feeling buddy. I thought I would die in my stable. More than once actually, and in more than one way." Out of the blue, Blitzfire stopped talking, stopping in his tracks and standing stiff as a rod.

I crashed my toy car into his back hoof a couple times, "Beep beep!"

"Orange, hush for a second?" I looked up, my eyes skimming his tail, until I was staring up at his head. His ear twitched, and he was slowly reaching for his rifle with one hoof. Then shots rang out and bullets were flying. "Shit! Get down!" Blitz threw himself on top of me, protecting me from the worst.

Blitz lifted his head and I saw he'd dropped his gun. It was just out of reach. He began fumbling for his revolver. He wasn't fast enough. Looking around, I saw we were surrounded by raiders. "Well, well, well boys, lookie we have here." One raider had stepped up close to us and he was holding a knife with a long, wide blade.

"Get the buck away from me." Blitz spat at the raider.

"Now, now. Is that any way to treat—" he took one step toward us and his head exploded. His body stood there for a second, looking unsure as to what had just happened. I could almost picture a ghost head looking around for its real head. Then it fell over sideways, knife clattering away. The bloodied stump of the neck was right next to my face, blood pouring freely, the puddle getting bigger.

"Gah!" I shrieked, trying to get away, but Blitz was still on top of me.

The other raiders grew restless. They shifted on their feet, having no clue how to respond. Then one by one, their heads exploded too. We were now within a ring of bodies, and I was so freaked out I managed to shove Blitz off of me.

We got up, looking around for the source of this new threat. Blitz whispered, "Sniper," and he already had his revolver at the ready. Like that was gonna help when our heads could just explode whenever they wanted to! I put my hooves on my face, falling forward and cowering beneath Blitz's legs, just like during the storm.

"Orange Juice! By Luna!" a deep voice rang out. I recognized it instantly.

I picked up my head, looking around. My face hit Blitz's belly. "Guardian!" I gasped. "Guardian, Guardian!" I began bucking like a bull, trying to get out from under Blitz. My face hit something softer than his belly, and he grunted, "Ow. Those would be my balls O.J." Blitz lifted one leg, "Please get out from under me. I don't think we're quite at that stage in our relationship."

I shot out like I'd been shot from a party canon, and without even having to look, I latched onto the Guardian. My Guardian. He was here, right here. I began to cry, but I was smiling.

He didn't know quite how to respond, going tense, but saying, "Thank the sisters I found you." gingerly, he patted my back.

 ** _(Chapter 19 set for 8/16/17 12:00am hopefully I can get back on a schedule lol_**

 _Alright, so Orange Juice has been raised from a young age to believe his only purpose is to "service" other ponies. He doesn't understand that he can say no to Blitz. But he also doesn't wanna say no. It's confusing for him because he's never had a choice. Now he does. Blitz himself doesn't get that either. He's falling in love with this colt, but he can't wrap his head around all these emotions. Both his and OJ's. I guess we'll see how these two deal with that._

 _Like my reference to Boulder? Hehe, that was fun! Orange has such a cute imagination. XD And of course we had to have the Guardian bursting back in in that totally unexpected way of his we got back in Chapter 4 when he was first introduced. This chapter is a bit shorter, but I love it a lot. So much emotion and action. Yay!_

 _Love ya!)_

 **Brohoof! /)**


	22. Chapter 19 Dog Day

**Chapter 19** Dog Day

"Guardian!" I yipped at him excitedly, a big smile on my muzzle. I was unbelievably happy to see him. That's when I noticed Blitzfire frowning. I turned, "Blitzy! This is the Guardian. Hehe." I expected him to jump up and go shake hooves with the other stallion, or whatever you do when you meet new ponies. Instead, they both stared at each other like they were mad at each other.

I circled around, standing next to the Guardian and looking to Blitz. "Ummm…guys?"

The Guardian grunted, then turned around. "Let's go OJ."

My eyes widened, and I looked between the retreating Guardian and the forlorn looking Blitzfire. I ran to catch up with the Guardian, then trotting backward in front of him, I said, "Wait!" I was breathing really heavily.

The Guardian stopped in his tracks. "What?" he eyed me, but he didn't look back. I pouted.

"He's my friend! I want him to come with us." I put my hoof down, stubborn as ever.

Finally, he looked back. I bit my lip, scared the Guardian was gonna say no. But then he motioned for Blitz to join us. I lit up, going to walk beside Blitzy. The Guardian didn't look thrilled, but I wasn't paying attention. We were all going to Fort together.

* * *

"We still have to make it through northeast residential Bittsberg before we'll make it to the Fort." the Guardian said sometime later. He had stopped at a ridge, broken bits of asphalt crunching beneath his hooves.

"That sounds good to me!" I yapped happily.

"It isn't good—" the two stallions paused when they realized they'd been speaking in sync. The Guardian narrowed his eyes, and the two glared heat rays at each other.

With a snort and a stomp of his hoof, off went the Guardian without a backward glance or a second thought. I was indecisive for a second, standing between my Blitz the my Guardian, but we needed to keep moving right? My heartbeat picked up and didn't slow.

The Guardian had his plasma rifle at the ready. I widened my eyes and fumbled for my shotgun on my back. I was so unprepared. Raiders could be anywhere. However, I almost tripped, I was focusing on too many things at once.

A hoof caught me, and I looked up at Blitz's reassuring smile, "Don't worry OJ, I've got you." I beamed.

I heard a grunt from up ahead and frowned. I was really confused why he was acting like this. I ran toward him, but out of the blue, gunshots rang out. It startled me, and I crashed into the Guardian.

"Buck!" he cursed, bringing his rifle to bear. He aimed in the direction of the gunfire.

"If we go that way," Blitzfire was pointing, "We can avoid the gunfight."

The Guardian crinkled his nose, "Don't tell me how to do my job."

I glanced around, trying to get a sense of where we were. I saw the highway a distance to our left, and down the hill here, there was a T-intersection, rightward leading into a neighborhood of squat little houses. "Those houses are cute!" I giggled.

Blitz looked at me sadly, while the Guardian gave no reaction. "I say we just keep going the way we are," said the Guardian. "Either the fight will be over once we get there, or I can handle taking them out."

"Listen, it won't just be over. I know raiders. We go around." Blitz snorted.

"I live in the Fort, on the doorstep of their territory. You think I don't know them too? They'll probably just move off by the time we get to em."

"You're speaking in terms of probability here. Everything I say is simple reality. If you won't do it because I say it, then think of OJ." my ears pricked up at the sound of my name, and I cocked my head at Blitzy. "Don't you see how freaked out all this makes him?"

The Guardian looked at me, "He's the Puppydog. He has to get used to it eventually…" but the more he looked at me the more his expression softened. "Fine!" he caved with a sigh. "We do it your way," he poked an armored hoof into Blitz's chest. "One thing goes wrong though…"

"It won't go wrong." Blitz was full of confidence, standing tall.

We went his way, heading away from the shooting and into a set of back alleys behind the houses. I could see why the Guardian wanted to keep going the way we'd been heading. We could no longer see the towering walls of the Fort. We were taking the long way.

"At least the bullets stopped!" I smiled at my two companions.

Right when I said it, the sounds started again. "Hmm?" I tilted my head, feeling bemused, "I must've spoken too soon."

"Shit," the Guardian whispered as he focused on something unseen to us. It looked like his eyes were staring into space, but I knew he was looking at his EFS. Mine didn't read anything, yet, but I knew the Guardian's also had to be better.

"What is it?" Blitz stepped toward him.

The Guardian narrowed his eyes, "They're moving off, just like I told you."

"Isn't that good?"

"It would be, if they weren't _coming right toward us!_ We're cut off. Looks like we're fighting whether we wanted to or not." The Guardian shot Blitz a disapproving look that said, _This is on you, buddy._

I levitated my shotgun to the front of me, feeling a sweat on my forehead. Blitz was right next to me, our shoulders brushing. "I'll keep us safe," he told me. The Guardian in front of me cocked his gun, and aimed.

Then I saw it. The flash of a shadow. I saw them darting between houses. Whoever it was was like a ninja, and they were moving toward us. I got a really bad feeling. "There!" I gasped when I saw him again.

"Where?"

I activated S.A.T.S. as soon as I saw the shadow again. There was a pony, his form blurry but recognizable. I saw bits of raider armor on him, and strange unidentifiable objects hanging next to his sides from his saddling. I stuck out my tongue but queued a shot.

My bullet traveled through the air, and the raider was knocked down. Blitz and the Guardian jumped. The gunfire ceased in that second. "That's not a good sign," said Blitz.

He was right. Raiders began pouring from the side streets, and we were blocked off. The Guardian was quick on the uptake, turning and firing quickly, felling his enemies at lightning speed. It was almost fun to watch, if it wasn't for the body count piling up. I hated this so much.

Some of the Guardian's plasma bolts melted a couple raiders down to goo, and there was nothing left. Just a glowing green puddle of goop. It looked like throw up from an alien.

Blitz was shooting to, and somepony was yelling, "Go go go!" I got a shove from behind, a cold hoof that I knew was the Guardian's because of his armor.

I sprang forward at the command, and shot at anypony who tried to stop me. Not many. They were all more focused on their more dangerous opponents. They were right behind me of course, and the three of us ran together.

"The Fort is closeby!" yelled the Guardian. "That way!"

We split off down a narrow road, gun toting crazies behind us firing off potshots. But the raiders chasing us had terrible aim. Thank goodness for that. But I had faith that these two stallions beside me would protect me. Maybe soon I would learn to protect myself.

The walls of the Fort became visible just ahead. We were so close. I couldn't stop myself smiling. "Grenade!" Blitz shouted. I thought he meant he was tossing one, but he meant that one had been thrown at us. The Guardian charged me, and we went barrel rolling all the way as there was a bright explosion behind us. All the while, he was shouting, "Open the door, open the door!"

Round and round we rolled, and my voice shook up and down. It was a bumpy ride. Everything was moving so fast. My head was spinning. Then we slammed into something.

I looked up. Right above us was Cherry Blossom. He was looking outward, toward the chaos, but I began coughing. He looked down, and I know I should be happy to see him, but all I could think to say was, "Ravager Blitzfire better get to come in too! He's my friend!"

* * *

We were all pretty exhausted, and I think the Guardian recognized that because he said we should wait to see our friends until tomorrow. Instead, we were heading to the dorms.

Blitzfire chuckled warily, "So, where's my room, captain?"

"My title is Guardian, and your room—"

"Is right here!" I shouted playfully as we reached my door. I closed my eyes and beamed at the Guardian, but he looked none too happy.

"That sounds about right," Blitz tried to lighten the mood with a half smile, but he never smiled and it didn't look real to me. I frowned.

The Guardian grumbled but clomped off. Blitz followed me into my room. "So, this your room?" Blitz glanced around. He looked so out of his element. He was no longer in a treasure trove full of danger at every turn. Now he found himself in the safest place he would probably ever be. It was strange to him. I could tell because it had all been strange to me too.

"Yep!" I smiled brightly, trotting around. It wasn't like it was the largest space, but it was pretty nice. I went to the dresser.

Blitz was standing near the bed, his mouth opening and closing. He was debating whether or not he should say something. Then he just blurt it out. "Does he have some sort of problem with me? Because I can leave."

I tilted my head, going cross eyed as I tried to think who he meant, "Does who have a problem with you? Cherry? Because he's like that to every—"

"No, the Guardian." Blitz cut me off. "Because he's done nothing but alienate me since we got here."

I creased my brows. "You're not an alien," I said. Then I smiled widely, and Blitz widened his eyes, trying to take a step back, but the bed was just behind him. I leapt, pummeling into him, and we both fell onto the bed. I was on top of him, and I smiled down at him and said, "Don't be silly, willy. He can't possibly have a problem with you. You're perfect!"

"I'm far from perfect, but thanks anyway OJ."

I snuggled my face into his chest. His vest was in the way, but there was some fur. "Of course you're perfect Blitzy." I mumbled. I couldn't think of anything else to call him. He wasn't anything but.

"Is my vest in the way OJ?"

"Maybe a little…" I said into his neck. He laughed.

"Here," he shifted, and I lifted my head. I saw him reach for the Velcro covering the zipper, and he slowly undid the vest. I helped with the bottom straps, since I was laying on top of him. Finally, he tossed it to the side.

I blushed because now he was naked. Yeah, ponies normally were, but it felt so weird because I'd never seen Blitz without that vest. I moved to cuddle into him again when I noticed something. A scar cutting a pink chasm into his fur, just below his chest, and right where his left leg started.

"Blitzy," I breathed, running my hoof along the scar. "What happened?"

Blitz looked down at himself. "Oh. Well…that's a story for another time. For now," he wrapped his arms around me, drawing me close, "I liked it when you were snuggling into me." then he blushed.

I giggled, "I do too." So I rubbed my face into his chest. His fur was surprisingly soft, and I made a " _Mer_ ," sound. His hooves slowly traced lines up and down my back. I didn't wanna ever move from this spot.

Blitz made a choking sound, "Orange Juice, ugh, careful with your horn buddy." I lifted my head, wide eyed and feeling sorry.

"Sorry Blitzy! I didn't mean it!"

"I know you didn't—" but I interrupted him by pecking him on the lips.

I immediately shied away, blushing. My heart was going a million miles a minute. It wanted to explode from my chest. "Calm down little thunder bird," I whispered down to my heart, "Blitz can probably hear you."

Blitz ignored my rambling, "Do that again."he commanded.

"Huh?" I met his eyes. I didn't understand.

Blitz laughed, "Here, let me show you," he put a gentle hoof on the back of my head, and he brought my face to his. He kissed me, softly, but it was bliss. My eyelids fluttered and closed. Everything about this was right. With Blitz, nothing else existed, and as he parted my lips, it felt like I was floating.

It was just us, two beating rebel hearts, and his scent in my nose, but everything about it was perfect. I was lost in him, and wanted more. But before he could press the kiss, the whole scene shattered at a knock on the door. I burst away from him, almost falling off the bed. I was breathing so hard, my rising and falling chest made me look like I was hyperventilating.

"I, um, guess you better go get the door," Blitz swallowed. He was panting too. I hadn't realized just how out of breath that made either of us. I wanted to lose my breath again, if it was with him.

"Uh-huh," was all I could manage. Then I climbed off the bed.

It was Pumpkin Spice at the door, but I should've guessed that by the energetic knock. The door opened, but it was like she didn't realize, because she continued knocking, right on my face.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow," I winced.

"Oh, sorry OJ." Pumpkin giggled. Then her eyes widened to saucers and she grinned from ear to ear, " _Orange Juice!_ Omifaust, omifaust, omifaust!" She jumped up and down as she screamed.

"Hi," I smiled back, glad to see her. I would hug her, but she was moving too fast.

Suddenly she stopped, her feet inches from the floor. I stared at them in wonder. "Oh, you can hug me OJ. I would like that."

I looked up, startled, "Huh?" but I moved to hug her anyway.

"It's awesome to have you back!" she said as I pulled away, "But you need your mane fixed really bad."

"Oh, I do?" I had completely forgotten about that.

"I'd be super extra happy if you please say yes." Pumpkin giggled and beamed at me.

"Hehe, ok. Yes!" I chirped.

"YESSSS!" she screeched and bounded off. She disappeared down the hallway.

I closed the door, and moved to turn around. Pumpkin was upside down in the air right behind me and I jumped. "Gah!"

"Oh, by the way, the Guardian wants you to eat dinner with him tonight. Hehe!" she planted all four hooves on the ground this time, and walked out the door, remembering to close it behind herself.

"She is certainly something." said Blitz from the bed.

"She can be." and putting the odd encounter from my mind, I climbed back onto the bed, returning to Blitzfire's arms.

* * *

I found the Guardian sitting at a table with Cherry. I had left Blitz to pick out what he wanted to eat. I was already holding a tray piled high with veggies in my magic. I set it down neatly on the table and moved to take my place. I smiled happily at him, but the expression on his face made me stand still.

"Ummm…Guardian?" I was starting to get antsy.

He finally sighed, shaking his head and displaying the first real emotion since he'd saved us earlier. He looked concerned. "OJ, are you alright? Do you know how worried I was?"

Cherry shifted uncomfortably, "Eh, you want me to leave? I ain't for this mushy gushy nonsense."

"It isn't mushy gushy," said the Guardian. "OJ was in the Combat Zone, remember? And no, you can stay if you want." Cherry shrugged. The Guardian turned to me, "Puppydog, please tell me you're ok. Combat didn't hurt you did he?"

"Hurt me? How?" it all felt so long ago, a different world. I barely remembered it.

Then I remembered. Combat Zone waving a knife around like it was a toy. All the ponies thinking a was a filly. He had wanted to cut my thingie off. All the color drained from my cheeks. I must've looked pretty silly right about then, but I lowered my head, trying to get a look beneath my legs. I was worried for nothing. Both my sheath and what I remembered Blitz calling balls were still there. I heaved a huge sigh of relief and lifted my head. I had been scared for a second, but nopony had used that knife on me. Can't believe I had forgotten about that.

"Nope! He didn't hurt me. I'm still a colt!" I shouted, and some ponies a table over stopped their conversation and glanced over.

"Still?" Cherry eyed me as I took a seat. "I knew Combat Zone was a sadistic fuck, but I didn't know he was that much of a creep." Cherry began laughing heartily about it.

"I guess that's good then," said the Guardian. His expression hardened again.

That's when Blitz joined us. "What we talking about?" he glanced between the Guardian and I. Cherry went completely silent.

"Just the plan for tomorrow." said the Guardian.

I began bouncing up and down in my chair. The prospect of another adventure sounded awesome to me. "What are we gonna do!? Are we going outside again?"

"Actually, no. I kinda overestimated you, and I'm honestly sorry I put you in so much danger."

"Overestimated?" I murmured, turning to Blitz with a questioning look. Blitz was glaring angrily at the Guardian, who seemed to take no mind.

"Tomorrow, you're taking it easy. I'm putting your training on hold too."

"Mer?" I tilted my head, wondering what this meant. I was so confused.

"So, looks like you're putting your Puppydog on a dog day, huh?" Blitz's voice was low, and I did not like it. Something was wrong.

"Call it what you want, but what's it to you wastelander?" said the Guardian.

"Yeah, let Ol' Buck do what he wants with his Puppydog." said Cherry, not unexpectedly taking his friend's side.

"Disgusting." Blitz snapped, and got up. He left without another word.

I gulped. I looked between the icy calm of the Guardian, and the burning rage of Cherry Blossom, and I realized just how uncomfortable I was right now. I slowly stood.

"I um…I think I'll take dinner to my room, if that's ok." I picked up both my tray and Blitz's. Nopony said a thing as I walked away.

* * *

Blitz held tightly to his revolver. I found him sitting like that when I came into the room, holding the gun and staring at the barrel. I smiled at him and set our food on the dresser. "Hey Blitzy."

He put the gun down, "You didn't have to come with me you know." he told me. "I know how much you wanted to be here."

"But I wanted to follow you." I was starting to blush.

"You're cute," Blitz told me.

I used my magic to take the gun from the bed, placing iton the dresser and then getting on the bed to be next to him. I leaned on his shoulder, staring up at his eyes.

"I'm tired."

"Do you wanna go to sleep? Seems like we'll have plenty of time tomorrow for anything."

"Sleep sounds good," I yawned. We curled up together, pulling the covers up. He held me. I couldn't ask for more.

* * *

"So, this is the salon?" Blitz glanced anxiously about as we entered Pumpkin's shop. It looked a mess, mane products strewn about, magazines lying around. But it was organized chaos.

I smiled at Pumpkin, and she hopped her way over, "So, decided you were up for a manecut afterall?" she held up a pair of scissors.

"I told you yes yesterday, but does it need cut again?" I giggled, knowing what to expect.

"Just a trim! Your mane just needs some upkeep!" Pumpkin exclaimed. Turning to Blitz she said, "What about you Blitzy?"

"Huh?" he met her eyes, "How do you know my name?"

Pumpkin's eyes widened, "There are things I know, that you don't know I know!" her voice cracked several times.

"Oookay then," Blitz nodded slowly, looking unsettled, "but no, I don't need a cut thanks."

"Ok. OJ!"she sang, "Take a seat!"

I hopped into the barber's chair, allowing her to give me the apron and strip of paper for my neck. She hummed as she worked, and I watched her in the mirror. The mirror was a little dusty and worn, but I could still see through it. She worked quickly and pleasantly.

"These dyes really don't die!" she screeched out of nowhere.

"What?" Blitz gasped. That made me giggle. I met his eyes through the mirror. He grumbled and turned away.

"What I mean is, you were gone for over a week, and the dye is still showing up! I'm so freaking _happy!_ " she threw her hooves up in celebration.

I grinned, "That's good. I'm happy too."

Pumpkin leaned toward the counter to grab something, her poofy mane over me. Something moved inside, and then fell to the counter, rolling around. A metallic ball, blue swirling into black and gleaming surreally.

I gulped, getting flashbacks, "Is that…?"

Pumpkin stood stiff, looking down at the sphere. She scratched her head, "Oh! I totally forgot that was in there!"

Blitz came over to see, "That's a memory orb."

"Right!" Pumpkin laughed, "It's the Guardian's! Orange Juice stole it."

"Oh, good job, I'm proud of you little guy," Blitz chuckled. "So, I'm curious what the memory is." he left the rest implied.

"OJ!" Pumpkin yelled. I started, looking between her and the orb. "Are you gonna _touch_ it?"

I swallowed a huge lump, "Should I?"

"It's alright, we're both right here," Blitz nudged me, trying to be comforting.

"O-ok." I nodded and took a deep breath. Pumpkin was shaking all over in anticipation. I touched it.

* * *

Guardian

 _Today was the day. We were getting our designations. The mares treated it like some holy day, all of them silent and still when they saw us. By us I meant Thimble and I. We were both 12 years old._

 _It was rare to have two stallions at the same age. But Thimble and I were a novelty. Thimble and I, we were twins. Brothers, by blood. I'd always thought, maybe that was the reason why the mares treated the two of us differently than the other stallions. We were special._

 _That was just wishful thinking of a naive colt. This was before I really knew the Overmare. How sadistic and twisted she was. I should've guessed though. Thimble and I had both heard stories. We just hadn't thought they applied to us. That we were better than the rest. Like I said, naive, wishful thinking._

 _Today was the first time I ever met the Overmare. This was why the mares were being so uptight about everything. Apparently, it wasn't normal of her to come to one of these. To graduation day._

 _We were led down the hall, a dark metal corridor, not much different than the rest, but this one was painted dark black instead of the other standard colors._

 _Thimble was beside me, and he was honestly pissed. He kept grumbling about how life was going to get a lot worse, and that we weren't going to get to see each other much anymore._

 _"Yeah we will. We always find a way." I told him, to sooth his grumblings._

 _It made him perk up, "You're right, bro. I'm pretty damn crafty, aren't I?"_

 _Ahead of us, a set of doors slid open with a hiss. I glanced around and realized we'd left behind our main escort of mares. Now we were flanked by a doctor and a couple nurses. I got the feeling that that was unusual._

 _I was right. I stopped in my tracks at the threshold when I saw the room they'd taken us too. Now this was a horror story I thought I wouldn't be a part of for a very long time._

 _The Nightkiss._

 _Thimble took a second to realize I wasn't by his side and turned back to crook a grin at me, "What, brother? Afraid of a little number stamped on your flank?"_

 _I trotted over to him on light hooves, and hissed in his ear, "That machine behind you is the Nightkiss." Thimble's ears pressed flat against his head. I don't think I'd ever seen him look so scared. Thimble was my tough brother. He always had my back and was there to protect me. Now he looked like a trembling colt. We were both just colts._

 _The reality of the situation was dawning on us. One of us was not leaving this room alive. Decommission was forever, the both of us had went on enough little escapades through the Stable to know that._

 _Thimble looked at me and shook his head, "No. No, no, no!"_

 _I reached for his hoof, latching on. I needed him. I couldn't let my brother go. He was all I had. "It's gonna be fine. We'll figure this out."_

 _"Mhm," he nodded, but his shaking bottom lip said otherwise. Neither of us believed it._

 _"My, look at this." a cool voice said. A beautiful pink mare stood above us, casting her shadow over us. I didn't let go of Thimble's hoof. "This is too sweet. Do you two think this changes anything?"_

 _"Who are you, and what are you going to do to us!?" Thimble shouted, looking like an angry dog. His hoof squeezed mine. Look at him, my tough brother. He had always been tougher than me._

 _"My, don't you recognize your own Overmare?" said the prissy pink mare. "I'd say I find that a bit offensive, but the opinion of a stallion means nothing to me."_

 _"Buck off!" Thimble snapped. I could only stare in silence at the Overmare._

 _She glanced my way, ignoring Thimble, "I've heard quite a bit about you two. Always causing trouble. It's a little amusing. I do want to say, I'm the one who let you guys off so many times."_

 _"Why?" I asked._

 _The Overmare chuckled, "That's simple. It all leads up to this." She moved to the side, yet again revealing the Nightkiss machine. "I let you guys have your fun. And I see you two love each other so much." At that her whole expression changed. She looked angry and disgusted. "It's sickening. To think there would be two of you. No. One of you must go. Today, I get to choose."_

 _Thimble reached up and grabbed my other hoof. "You can't." he said._

 _"I can. And I think I already know who to take." she smiled sadistically. Stamping on the ground, she summoned two security aides. She nodded toward us, and I didn't know who she meant, but apparently her security staff did. The mares grabbed Thimble._

 _"No!" I yelled. I tried to hold on, and so did he, but we were ripped apart. "No! Take me! Don't hurt him!" I began to cry. My brother. My strong brother who could handle anything. I couldn't let them do this. Not to him._

 _I pounced forward, grabbing for the Overmare, but I missed. She jumped, giving me a horrified look, "Detain him!" she screamed. Hooves latched on to me. "What do you want us to do with him ma'am?"_

 _The Overmare smiled. "Make him watch." That got a couple laughs from her cronies._

 _They sat me down in front of the chair, making me watch as Thimble was strapped in tight. We both struggled. I was silently pushing and pulling against my captors, but Thimble was thrashing and yelling curses. He was viscous._

 _Finally, all the restraints were done. Tears fell from my eyes, and I was pulling so hard, I had to get to him! He was screaming, nothing coherent now, and I saw he too was crying._

 _A doctor went to the computer, activating the machine. It buzzed as she turned things on. Thimble turned to me, "Buck, help me! Please! Don't let them kill me."_

 _"I'm trying!" I tried to break free, I really did, but I was so weak. "I'm bucking trying…"_

 _In the background, I could hear the evil laughter of the Overmare. Who knew evil could sound so dainty?_

 _The needle popped from its sheath, the tip gleaming."Buck! No, please help!" he snorted, his nose stuffy from crying, just like mine. He twisted in the chair, trying to find the Overmare, "Don't do this to me! I didn't do anything wrong."_

 _The Overmare appeared from the shadows, scowling, "You're very existence is wrong."_

 _The needle began to lower. I struggled harder, but the mares held me tightly, "Thimble…I'm so so sorry." I fell still, knowing it was pointless._

 _He stopped struggling too, "Buck, it's ok." I sniffled, not believing him. "Hey," he said, "do you remember the door?"_

 _"The door?" I gulped, swallowing snot. Another tear rolled off my cheek._

 _"Yeah, you know, the big gear?"_

 _"Oh yeah," I chuckled softly, "that one."_

 _"One day, I want you to do what we always wanted." Thimble said, tears making his smile sparkle._

 _I shook my head, "I can't do it without you brother…"_

 _"I want you to promise me." He got a dreamy look in his eye._

 _"No. I-I can't. You're coming with me Thimble!"_

 _The needle tip was so close to him now. It was almost over. I couldn't give up. But I was._

 _"Bucking promise me Buck!" he locked eyes with me._

 _I cried out and just before the needle pierced his flesh, I surged forward hard enough to break free. I shot to his side, "I promise! I bucking promise that I will escape. I'll get out of this Stable. For you Thimble."_

 _His tears gone, he smiled, "Good." and the needle struck him, taking everything. The life drained from his eyes, and he was gone._

 _"Thimble? Thimble, say something!" I couldn't quite accept it yet. I began to shake him, "Hey, you're ok. Please…" my tears wouldn't go away. "I'm so sorry!" I sobbed._

 _I glanced up, angry. The Overmare had done this. But before I could do anything, a needle pierced my neck too. A sedative. I began to grow very tired. My head slumped, resting next to Thimble's. "I promise." I whispered._

* * *

Orange Juice

My cheeks felt wet when I opened my eyes. "Thimble…" I choked. I shoved the orb away and it rolled to a stop amongst Pumpkin's mane dressing supplies. I glanced at the mirror, seeing the tears that were rolling down _my_ cheeks. They were real.

"Who's Thimble, OJ?" Pumpkin asked, for once her voice quiet.

"He's my brother." Buck's voice boomed through the room.

I gasped, shaking in my chair and choking again on a sob. I looked over to the Guardian, who strode into the room. He looked angry.

"You have a brother?" Pumpkin attempted a smile.

"I _had_ a brother." Buck corrected, snatching up the memory orb I had stolen from him. I gulped and sniffled, but he didn't look at me.

"What's your problem?" Blitz snapped at Buck's tail end. The Guardian had been leaving.

"I have a lot of problems. But I have the decency to keep them to myself." Buck growled at Blitz.

"It's not decent to keep something like this to yourself, bottling it up and then spewing it out for everypony to see like this." Blitz growled back. He took a step in the Guardian's direction.

The Guardian shot around, staring Blitz in the eye, "I'm not the one who took this without asking and watched its contents without care." he held up the orb in his hoof, shaking it for emphasis. Then he shot a glare at me, making me slide down in my chair and squeak.

Blitz came to me and put a hoof on my shoulder. He glanced at Pumpkin. "Can we finish this up here? I think my coltfriend and I need some alone time."

Pumpkin nodded, a look like a deer in the headlights in her eyes. She hurriedly got to work, then sent us on our way. I now had my cute braid at the top of my mane back, holding it to one side. That made me happy.

I thanked Pumpkin, then ran after Blitz in the hall, catching up and walking beside him. "Coltfriend?" I questioned.

"Huh?"

"You called me that back in the salon." my voice was strangely shaky.

"Shit! I did?" His eyes darted back and forth. "Shit, shit, shit!"

"What's wrong?" I cocked my head.

"I really hope she doesn't care about that sort of thing." was all Blitz said.

We stopped at my bedroom door, and I went to the bed with him when it opened, shutting it behind myself. I asked, "What sort of thing?" as I joined him on the bed.

"Can you just shut up so I can kiss you?" he booped my nose.

"Oh yeah, sure." I blushed as I lowered my face to his. Our noses were touching.

"You're adorable," he told me. His breath was against my muzzle, and my heart fluttered.

"Thanks?" I giggled, not knowing what to say to him. This kind of thing was new to me.

"Well, aren't you gonna compliment me back?" Blitz was smiling widely. I loved how he only smiled for me.

"What's a compliment?" I asked innocently.

"Faust!" Blitz shook his head. "This is why you're adorable." then he kissed me before I could say anything. He didn't want me to say anything. And if it meant more kissing, I didn't want me to say anything either.

He parted my lips again, and I allowed him to, becoming lost in this other stallion once again. We were both boys, and I never thought that was a thing. Two stallions loving each other. But it felt right somehow.

Blitz rolled me over, and now he was on top of me. He broke the kiss with a lazy smile at me. His mane hung around his face and I giggled. He kissed my nose, making me laugh some more.

"Hmm, you like that?" he kissed my forehead next.

"Hehe, yeah I do!" he could kiss me all over for all I cared. It made me feel good and I really didn't know why.

Blitz moved further up, his neck against my nose, and I was gonna ask what he was doing when he started nibbling my ear gently. It tickled, making me laugh. "Blitzy!"

"Hmm?" he didn't stop, and I nudged his neck. He murmured. I liked the sounds he was making, so I opened my mouth and lightly touched him with my teeth. "Oh!"

That's when I felt something pressing against my leg and Blitz jumped up, shooting to the other side of the bed and crossing his front legs. "Faust, I'm so sorry! I was getting carried away." he was blushing furiously, and finding it hard to make eye contact with me.

"It's ok, I liked that. You can nibble my ear."

"I just…needed a distraction, but it's wrong of me to use you." Blitz bit his lip.

"A distraction from what Blitzy?" I frowned, and looked into his eyes. "Please tell me."

"I really really don't like the way he treats you OJ." Blitz finally spat out in a rush of air.

"Are you talking about the Guardian again?" I asked him.

"Of course I am!"

I crawled over to Blitz, "He doesn't treat me bad. The Guardian is nice. He just needs to open up. You wait."

"I'm not going to just let this happen."

I lifted my legs, and touched my hooves to him, going in for a hug, "Blitzfire," I whined, " _Please._ "

Blitz put his head on my shoulder, "I…I…Oh, why do I feel like this?" he pulled away, getting up. I watched him pace for awhile before he went to the door.

"Wh-where are you going?" I stuttered.

"I just need to walk for a bit. Alone." with that, he was gone.

"O-okay…" I stared longingly at the closed door.

* * *

Ravager Blitzfire

I wasn't just going for a walk. I was going to find that good for nothing Guardian who was hurting the colt I loved. Orange Juice didn't even bucking see it! He was too innocent and naive. Knowing that Stable of his, he probably always would be. It felt like Buck was taking advantage of that, and I didn't like it.

First I went to the salon. It was one of the very few places I knew how to find. I strode right up to Pumpkin Spice, not caring that she was with a customer. "Hey!"

"Hi there grumpy pants," Pumpkin said with a smile. She didn't even turn to look at me. "Of course I can't turn to look at you! I've got a sharp object to a pony's head!" the pony in the chair shifted uncomfortably with an expression that said _help me!_

"Stop doing that." It was the second time she'd guessed at, and been right about, something that hadn't been said to her.

"Stop doing what?" she giggled girlishly, taking the scissors from the pony's head and turning toward me. "Are you looking for the Guardian?"

"Gah! That, stop doing _that_." I shook my head to clear it. "Yeah, I'm looking for him. Have any idea where he might be?"

"He might be in Sector 2 right about this time of day. Maybe the Rotunda. Buuuuut," she drew out the word, leaning toward me as she did, and even more freaky, her neck spiralled around like it was made of putty. "Those areas are off limits to civilians." her body flipped around next to meet her head and everything was straightened out again. Now she was standing right in front of me, that huge smile plastered to her face.

"I'll find a way, I always do."

"Ooh! Great Speech technique. I love Fallout, don't you?" Pumpkin wiggled her eyebrows at me.

"What the buck are you talking about?" I blinked at her in question, but that's when I noticed her discreetly sliding a keycard my way. Her smile had dropped, but her eyes were wide as saucers in intense expectation.

I snatched the card quickly. "Yep! Gotta love whatever Fallout is!" I busted out of there as soon as she wasn't giving me that creepy look anymore.

* * *

"Whoa!" I whistled as I slowed to catch my breath. "Calm down there Blitz. Crazy's gone." I glanced down at the card she'd given me. Sector 2A was written along the back, along with a string of numbers. I glanced around, looking for one of those directional signs.

Once I found one, it wasn't hard to find my way. I made it to a door with a terminal beside it. The terminal was locked, but one swipe of the card and I was in. Eh, it would've been easy to hack anyway, but this way it was less likely I'd get caught.

Tapping the keys, I found the door control and unlocked them. They slid open with a his. I immediately found myself in a wide concrete hallway that was dimly lit. It had a different style and structure to the hall I was now leaving.

There were a few ponies about, but as long as I acted natural, nopony would notice me. None had yet. I think I would need to find a uniform like theirs though before they really did look hard.

I chose a random pony and followed him. I tried to get a good look at his name patch, but it was difficult. I think he was an officer though. It was probably best to follow an officer. If the title 'Guardian' was any indication, he probably was amongst the officers as well. I saw a sign pointing to a place called the Rotunda, and to the Strategy Room, Command Center and Control Board. The officer went toward the latter three, but I was interested in the Rotunda.

There was another door I needed to slide the keycard for, but the doors slid open for me, and I found myself in a large room that looked like an officer's lounge. There was furniture around, nice and orderly, and a staircase that conformed to the curving walls. I guessed upstairs was for smoking? There were skylights too.

The Guardian was here though. I don't think he realized I was here. I waited, curious as to what he was doing. He had a sheet of paper in his hooves, and he was reading it with deep concentration.

I moved closer. A lamp was on on a table beside the Guardian's armchair, and the light shone through. It revealed a map of the area surrounding the Fort. Outlined in marker was raider territory. The bridge was circled, the highway. These were battle plans.

"You gonna make Orange Juice a part of those plans?" I announced myself.

The Guardian lowered the document. When he saw who it was, he was immediately angry. "What the buck are you doing here?!"

"I think you already know." I said with a firm tone.

Up jumped the Guardian, but I wasn't fazed. "Do you think you can come in here and just take control over everything? You have no idea what you're messing with."

"Actually, I'm not the one obsessed with control," I pointed out. "I see the way you treat OJ, even if he doesn't."

The Guardian set his map down hard on the table and circled around me, "I'm the Guardian, he's the Puppydog. I think you've been in Bittsberg long enough to know the tradition of the Fort."

"Oh, I'm familiar with the Fort. The _good_ ponies of the Fort," I spat. "But all I see is a fake. You're manipulative. I thought the Guardian was supposed to be this legendary benevolent figure. We're in _such_ capable hooves, glory be." I huffed.

I was so mad, I was panting. My heart was racing and I knew my cheeks were heated.

"How dare you," the Guardian snapped. "I am very capable, and I am not controlling. I am not like _her_."

"Like who?" I creased my brows.

The Guardian prattled on, "Like you're so great yourself? You're a bad influence on him, Ravager! First thing I saw when I rescued you two was reckless endangerment."

"You're just bucking jealous!" I was raising my voice without meaning to, but he just made me so pissed.

"I am not jealous!" he was raising his voice too.

I ignored him, "And of what? Because he loves me and I really fucking care about him? Guess what? We've known each other for little over a week! You know who he talked about nonstop the entire trip? You, Guardian! He idolizes you!" I shouted. I was crying at this point I was so heated. I was just in so much disbelief. What did OJ see in this stallion?

The Guardian stood in dumbfounded silence for a moment, eyeing me. And then I swear his face turned red as an apple grenade and he exploded like one too, "YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER THING COMING IF YOU THINK I'D EVER BE JEALOUS OF YOU! AND YOU THINK THAT YOU KNOW BETTER THAN ME? WELL YOU DON'T!"

The Guardian paused, taking a second to collect himself. He looked shocked, and I don't think he had meant to yell like that. After standing there staring at the carpeted floor for a couple minutes, he sighed and said,

"I am trying to keep him safe. That's all I'm ever trying to do. That's all I'm ever going to do from now on. He's _my_ responsibility, nopony else's. So buck off."

"I'm just trying to say, it doesn't have to be like that. He sees something in you. So show me that."

"I don't have to show you a thing." With that, like some sort of dismissal, he picked up his map again, shutting me out.

"Guardian—"

"Just leave. Go the buck away."

I stomped a hoof and snorted angrily before turning to go. As the doors closed I thought I heard him mumbling something about not wanting to be like the Overmare. " _I'm not manipulative…"_

* * *

Orange Juice

I felt sad when Blitz left. I think I stared at the door for at least 10 minutes, but I can't keep track of time. Eventually I resigned myself to laying here. I flopped to my belly, heaving a long breath.

When there was a knock at the door later, I jumped up and shouted, "Blitzy!" my grin fell when it was Pumpkin I found at the door.

"Oh…" I looked down, "I thought you were Blitz."

"Who?" Pumpkin asked. She was smiling brightly and had something in her hoof. "I don't know who that is, but I brought hammy!"

I glanced at the radio, "You know who he is. He was with me in the salon earlier."

Pumpkin knocked a hoof on my head a couple times, "Sure you're ok? I didn't knock on the door too hard before dinner last night, did I?"

I couldn't stop myself from cracking a smile. Especially when I looked down at hammy. _Music,_ whispered thoughts inside my head. I could already hear it. "Let's listen to music Pumpkin Spice."

"Yeah!" she screamed. "There ain't no party without a dash of Pumpkin Spice!" she clicked the power button on the radio.

Music began to play, loudly, and I already felt my rump jiggling. Pumpkin's laughter filled the air, lightening the mood. "Yeah! Shake yo bootay!"

I glanced backward at myself. What can I say? I liked the sight of my butt wiggling of its own accord. Music really had an affect on me. Why do you think I liked it so much?

"Oh, I think they know why you like it so much OJ." said Pumpkin.

"Who?" I asked.

She leaned toward me in that way of hers, with big eyes. "You don't know?"

"Well…you don't seem to know Blitz, so…"

"Oh, ppt!" Pumpkin waved her hoof dismissively, "Of course I know him! Don't be silly!"

"Huh? But you said…" I gave her a funny look.

"I was just trying to distract you! And judging by the way you're tapping your hooves, it worked!" she giggled at me, her laugh contagious.

I have to admit, my hooves were clopping along to the beat. I looked down at myself, surprised. On the radio, a trumpet blared and I stuck my legs out in a wide stance at the sound. Then drums sounded in rhythm and my hooves picked up the beat, a fast paced tap dance.

"Oh yeah, work it OJ! Work it like it's your birthday." Pumpkin smiled bright.

I was working it alright, but I had no clue what a birthday was. I was dancing along in the middle of the hallway without a care. At least it wasn't the middle of the night.

" _Whoo! You gotta love the classics. That one is one of my favorites. Thaaaaank you, Street Fair, for the request. And now for some DJ Pon3 action. Yep, that's me, your residential disk jockey here, with the news. Nice and smooth DJ, nice and smooth."_ On came a familiar voice, and I smiled down at the radio. It was good to hear that pony's voice.

He continued, " _News flash. If you happen to be wandering through Bittsberg for any reason, try to avoid the old highway next to the Fort. A band of raiders have been spotted. I repeat, a very large group of raiders have gathered on the bridge next to the Fort."_ Pumpkin and I exchanged a nervous look. What were they doing so close to the Fort?

" _I don't know what you'd be doing in Bittsberg anyway. It is not a friendly neighborhood! Ow! Fort, if anypony is in there, I hope you heard that. Anyway, I got another classic, coming your way. Until next time, Pon3, out!"_

The next song was being played on the piano, a slow and dark song. Pumpkin and I couldn't stop staring at each other. We were completely shocked. That's when the alarms began to blare, red flashing lights and everything. The air went cold.

Piano music played through it all.

 ** _(Chapter 20 finally posted on 9/27/17 at 9:30am CT_**

 _I await your comments, hehe_

 _I'm finally back, lol! This chapter took so long to write. I wanted to make sure I got it just right. So much heavy stuff went into it. It's also very long, omg. About 23 pages on Docs, and the Guardian's flashback scene about 4!_

 _Let's talk about the Guardian's memory for a second. I actually cried! Omg it's so sad. Thimble...crying out like that, both of them trying so hard. The promise...Yeah._

 _So, you were all wanting to know how Blitz and the Guardian would get along now, now that they've finally met? Heh, looks like we got a taste of that. You got your scene Foxy ^^ They really went at it, didn't they?_

 _One more thing, Pumpkin Spice, eh? Gotta love her! And like I mentioned awhile ago, I've started to give her the "4th wall" trait Pinkie Pie has. I'll be playing around with that._

 _So much angst and intensity! This chapter was jammed pack, as it needed to be. It was so much fun to write. Because it's so long, I'm thinking of it like how sometimes Tv shows have a movie length episode. I hope you guys enjoyed. I expect strong reactions XD I'm excited!_

 _Love ya! 3)_

 **Brohoof! /)**


	23. Chapter 20 Showdown

**Chapter 20** Showdown

I ran with Pumpkin Spice to the Task Room. She told me, "Try to keep your head down, ok? We'll be dealing with the big bucks." I gulped, nodding.

There was a wall full of terminals. Most of them made no sense to me, I couldn't make heads or tails of them. The biggest screen was easy to understand, however. It was something I'd seen before. It was like the world map on my Pip-Buck. I realized I was looking at a map of the land east of the Fort, raider territory. The bridge that led to the Fort was highlighted.

A few ponies sat in front of computers, typing away and talking into radios. Others stood at attention, or bustled around with documents clutched in one hoof, or in glowing magic. The rest looked big, important and scary. Brass. Big bucks as Pumpkin said. No surprise to have the Guardian up there at that table with them.

Cherry was standing, two hooves on the table and explaining something in very harsh tones. "Look, we haven't seen a single caravan in just over 2 months. We don't have the caps for a large scale battle. What do we tell the last of our mercenaries?"

"We don't tell them anything." said one officer. She slid her shaded glasses off, looking with disgust at the documents being discussed. "What will they do? Walk out?" at that, a couple officers laughed.

"Do you think this is funny _ma'am_?" Cherry snarled. "I have to deal with these ponies everyday. We keep quite about our low funds, they'll get antsy."

A calm looking stallion with a shaved, white mane put his hoof gently on the quartermaster's shoulder. "Then we offer them something else. You'll do fine. Thank you for your concerns Cherry."

"What can I say but _your welcome_?" he grumbled, pulling his papers into a stack and drawing them off the table.

"Hehe," Pumpkin giggled. "That was a reference." I gave her a funny look. Always quirky, that was her.

" _What,_ " came the voice of the Guardian, "is he doing in here?" I looked up at him, and his angry look made me take a step back and whimper.

"He followed me in!" Pumpkin exclaimed gleefully like the Guardian wasn't shooting the both of us a death glare.

"I wanna help fight!" I beamed eagerly, knowing with all my heart that fighting this fight alongside the Guardian was exactly what I wanted.

"I told you no OJ and that's final."

I creased my brows. I didn't understand why there was such a sudden change of pace in his attitude. Had I done something wrong? I wanted the chance to do better. So I tried to argue, "But, Guardian, I was out in the wasteland for a long long time! I mean, not like I know the exact amount of that time," I cocked my head, shrugging my shoulders, "I'm really super bad at reading a clock. But I'm also really, um, super not bad at using a gun." I smiled, nodding at my Guardian. Then I added quickly, "Um, most of the time."

"Puppydog, it's my job to make sure you are safe. Sending you out on that battlefield is just a bad idea when you're not ready for it."

"Oh, lighten up a little Ol' Buck!" Pumpkin tossed out a queasy laugh. She jumped over to the Guardian, landing on the table and looking him in the eye, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure he's trying to tell you he is ready!"

"He is not ready! And get off the table!" the Guardian slammed his hooves down. Pumpkin backed up, giving him space, but she remained on the table. "He has proven to be a liability in dangerous situations. Our people can't spend their time looking over their shoulders to keep him safe out there. Or to keep themselves safe. He's incompetent, as he's proven over and over."

He was talking about me like I wasn't here and that was really hurting. I began to pout. Pumpkin said, "Then I guess you chose a bad Puppydog." with that, she hopped off the table and walked to the door. Actually _walked._ She turned before leaving, "But like it or not, you're stuck with him Buck."

The doors closed.

"Guardian," I whined.

The Guardian shook his head, "My answer is no. You need to take a day off, maybe two, then when I'm back we can resume training."

"But…"

"You might have something else to say, but this conversation is done Puppydog!" the Guardian snapped.

I sucked in a breath. Something was horribly wrong. Why was my heartbeat picking up? Why did my face feel so hot? I took one step forward without meaning to. I bit my lip, grimacing at this feeling. But then I let it go. And I said,

"There might be many buts in this world, but that doesn't mean you have to be an ass!" I cried, then turned and bolted from the room.

* * *

Guardian

I watched after that turquoise tail bobbing away through the door with regret. Cherry stood next to me, and he took a deep breath, "Are you sure you weren't too hard on him?"

All eyes were me, not surprisingly. I'd publicly humiliated the Puppydog, something I'm sure no Guardian had ever done. There was always mutual respect. I'd tarnished that. "I…" I felt terrible.

"I think," said the General, the calm pony with the white mane, "that matters of the Puppydog are usually left in the hooves of the Guardian. But in this extreme circumstance, I suggest you consider his participation on the battlefield." the General was smiling like a wise old stallion. "The Puppydog has always been an asset. Wouldn't you agree Guardian?"

I knew he wasn't talking about just Orange Juice. I swallowed a lump in my throat. "May I call a recess, sir?"

The General nodded. Somepony called, "10 minute recess!"

* * *

Orange Juice

I ran out of the room, nearly crying. I was tearing up so much that I couldn't see anything. I ran into somepony because I couldn't see. I backed up, mumbling, "Oh, excuse me, I'm sorry."

"OJ! What happened in there? Are you okay? They wouldn't let me in." It was Blitz. He nodded toward the guards at the door, who looked straight ahead without acknowledging Blitz.

I sniffled, trying to keep calm and smile, but I couldn't. I burst into tears and said, "He w-won't let me…" I couldn't get anymore out through my sobs.

Blitz grabbed my hoof, squeezing reassuringly. "I know, OJ. Come on, I have an idea."

"Mhm," I nodded, and ran off with him back to the quarters.

* * *

Blitzfire was pacing back and forth in my bedroom while I watched from the bed. He kept stopping every few seconds to stroke his chin and go, "Hmm…" Then he'd start pacing again. I'd long since stopped crying, and now I just watched him with a calm sense of ease. He'd figure out what to do. Maybe he'd even figure out how to make the Guardian like me again.

"Well…the battle doesn't start until morning, as I'm aware. So I think what we need to do is go to bed." Blitz stopped and looked up like he'd just been enlightened. I cocked my head in confusion.

"Um, go to bed?" I frowned.

Blitz looked at me and smiled, "Sorry, must've really confused you," he smiled and came over to boop my nose, "Know how I know? Because you're wearing that cross eyed look you always get when you're thinking really hard."

"I do?" I blinked, trying to look at him straight again. He kissed me and laughed.

"Yeah."

Climbing into bed, he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me down to lay beside him. "Listen, I know it'll be alright. We just sneak out early tomorrow, get to the bridge before anypony else. We prove to that stubborn Guardian of yours that you're capable of fighting by his side."

I looked deep into his eyes, smiling against his lips, "That sounds like a good idea to me." Anything sounded like a good idea. It was best to follow along. I was trying my best to learn. I only wanted the Guardian to teach me. "I wish I knew what I did to make him angry at me."

"Shh," Blitz put a hoof on my muzzle, "Enough thinking about that buck. It isn't gonna do you any good tonight."

"Oh, ok…" I nodded. He pecked my lips, and closed his eyes. "Are you tired, Blitzy?"

"A little bit. Sometimes it feels like I've slept long enough, and sometimes it feels like I haven't slept at all."

"Well you can't go to sleep wearing your armor!" I giggled.

"Oh, really?" Blitz sat up with a smile. He started taking off the vest, staring at me with a thoughtful expression. "Are you saying you want me naked?"

I blushed, "Um…what?"

Blitz laughed and shook his head, dropping his clothes to the floor, "Heh, nothing."

I don't know why, but something about seeing him without that vest, technically naked for him, it was enticing. I crawled up to him, putting a hoof around him and dragging him down toward me. I wanted him close to me always. I didn't know why having him against me made me feel so warm, not just outside, but inside too. Blitz made my heart fuzzy.

As he laid down by my side again, I caught sight of the scar across his chest again. I was still curious, but I didn't want to make him upset by asking. I knew he wanted to wait. So instead, I closed my eyes and pressed my forehead into the crook of his neck.

"Still thinking about that story hmm?" Blitz sighed into my mane.

"Wha?" I opened my eyes again to find myself tracing my hoof up and down the scar without realizing. "What story?" I blinked up at him drearily, a bit tired.

"I never did tell you about this gash, but it's not very important." Blitz said.

His hoof was in my mane, stroking gingerly. It felt so nice and I wasn't able to think straight being held like this. I snuggled into him, murmuring nonsense. He began shaking and I looked up at him to realize he was chuckling.

I yawned, muttering something, I wasn't sure what but I think I blurted, "Your naked in bed with me," but sleep overtook me before I could hear his response. All I felt were his protective hooves holding me close to him. I knew I was safe.

* * *

"Orange Juice! OJ, wake up! Come on…" somepony was wiggling me when I woke up. I was awake, why were they pushing me?

I tried to open my eyes but it felt like they were locked shut. They were heavy like bricks. I rolled over and peered at the pony calling my name through slitted eyes. It was Blitzfire. "Huh? Blitzy?" I blinked, trying to sit up. I only managed to just barely lift my head. "I'm _tired_ …" I whined.

Blitz began whispering, like somepony was watching and he didn't want them to hear, "OJ, if we wanna sneak out to the battlefield, we gotta go now!" he hissed. It was urgent, I could tell.

I sat up taller, "Ok."

"Good," Blitz backed off. He disappeared from sight for a second, then he came back out of nowhere. Tossing something heavy, he called, "Put this on. It's not safe to go out into the wasteland unprotected like that."

I untangled myself from the clothes. My Pip-Buck labelled it as pleather armor. "Where did you get this?" I asked quietly as I pulled it on over my head.

"I…um…I stole it about an hour ago. I've been, well, I've been getting ready." Blitz looked away, blushing. I don't think I'd ever seen him blush before. If I had, it was very rare.

"Aww, Blitzy, you're so cute!" I beamed at him.

"Huh? What?" Blitz looked around, avoiding eye contact with me and blushing even harder, his face turning really red.

I jumped off the bed, going to him and giving him a quick peck, "I like that my big stallion is always prepared, hehe." I giggled as he looked about flustered. It was the most adorable thing I'd ever seen. My heart was a flurry and I was wide awake now.

"Oh shit, you look sexy in that combat suit OJ." Blitz gasped when he finally laid eyes on me again.

I pressed my nose to his, "I don't know what that means, but it sounds like a good thing coming from you."

"It's a good thing OJ, it's definitely a good thing." he kissed me quickly before moving around me quickly, toward the door, like he was ready to bolt. "Ok, it's time to go. Before the Fort wakes up."

"Ok then go mister!" I bowed my head and began pushing him from behind with my forehead, careful with my horn of course. The door hissed open as he yelped at the sudden shove. Goodness, he was super adorable this morning.

We made our way quickly to the exit. Blitz had to hack the door from a terminal, and I watched as he went through the screen. It was kinda interesting to see. Like a little game. There were a bunch of words he cycled through, avoiding strands of symbols that made no sense to me. He seemed to do it with ease, his hooves clacking away at the keys. Eventually it clicked and the keyboard folded back in on itself.

"I don't know how long we have until somepony realizes I just hacked that door. Maybe they won't ever realize, what with other things on their minds, but let's not waste time."

"Cool!" I exclaimed, my voice echoing off the walls. Blitz opened his mouth, presumably to tell me to hush, but he shook his head and began to laugh. I stuck my tongue out at him as he turned to open the door.

Cold air came inside from the wasteland. It was still dark out, and it was hard to see. Blitz and I stepped out and the grated door closed behind us. We were back out again, going on another adventure. I smiled at him.

He didn't notice, instead setting off for the highway. It was closeby and firelight could be seen. The raiders. I jumped forward, racing ahead of Blitz. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! You can't just go racing into things OJ, we don't have a plan."

"But…I wanna fight. They're big old meanies and I wanna protect the Fort and…and…" I hung my head, staring at my hooves digging into the dirt.

"And what?" Blitz came to be next to me, prodding my with his snout.

"And…I want to show the Guardian that I can do it."

The was silence for a moment, a long pause. The air was still and frozen. "Oh, Orange Juice. You can do it. You'll show him. You don't have anything to prove. Especially not to him."

I nodded, "Mhm."

"Come, we can lay a few traps."

"How we gonna do that?" I perked up, immediately interested.

"Ever laid a trip wire before? I'll show ya, but I'll ask the Guardian to teach you because it's his job, right?"

"Right!" I beamed.

"Remember, gotta keep low and be quiet. Think back to when we had to go into stealth mode. That's what I want you to do again, ok?"

"Ok!" I shouted. Then my eyes widened, "Oh, ok," I said more quietly.

I crept along behind him again, pretending to be a ninja and remembering hopping along the railroad tracks in that abandoned subway tunnel. That place had been scary and I was a little scared now too. My heart thumped, but I had to go through with this.

Blitzy stopped suddenly. I yelped when I ran face first into his butt. "OJ, careful, I'm hoofing explosives."

"I'm sowwey!" I gasped.

"Watch carefully ok, I'm laying the first trap. It's a bomb tripwire." I moved around him eagerly to see what he was doing.

I watched him unravel a thin cord, he ran to the opposite side of the highway where a wooden panel had been set up, presumably by the raiders. They had set up a little mini fort. I wanted go exploring!

"Blitz, when are you gonna be done?!" I protested. I wanted to keep moving. I was antsy and bouncing on my hooves.

"This teks time Uh Jeh." Blitz said around a mouthful of wire.

He was setting up the trap and I was starting to get bored. I started slowly moving off into the camp. I didn't even realize I was doing it until I passed a wall and came across two raiders on a mattress, one on top of the other. They were staring at each and talking in soothing whispers. I looked around at that moment to realize that I'd strayed too far into the camp.

"Oh no," I squeaked, backing away. I smashed into a shelf, and a bunch of glass objects clattered and broke. I felt it cut into me. " _Ouch!_ " I screeched.

The two raiders I'd been observing snapped to, both focusing on me at once. The mare had her eyes narrowed at me, trying to figure me out, while the stallion just seemed angry I was here. I didn't want him to be angry at me. I wasn't trying to let them see me. I wanted to be quiet like Blitz had told me to!

That's when the mare smiled widely. "Looks like somepony wants to join the party."

"Excuse me?" said the stallion on the bed as his marefriend got up. She was smiling widely at me and I felt helpless as she took a step toward me. I couldn't move backward because of the shelf behind me, plus, I'm pretty sure I was bleeding. I was trapped.

I tried to move, but the mare said, "Uh uh uh," waving one hoof at me. I yelped, and without thinking, I had drawn my gun and shot it. I'd shut my eyes tight, and all I heard through the ringing in my ears was a distinctive _thump_. "I…I… _killed_ her." I breathed. I know I'd killed ponies before, but it still came as a shock to me. I hated doing it. I had just gotten so scared.

"That was my marefriend!" the stallion jumped up, reaching for his own weapon. I shook my head. Turning, I ran from the room before he could find it.

Only to find myself galloping straight into a group of them in a sort of lounge area. I stopped short. It appeared I had stopped them in the middle of a game. One pony was in the center of the group, lying sprawled on the floor. The rest were around him, whooping and hollering. Quite a few of the raiders had bottles in their hooves, drinking from them and laughing loudly.

All noise ceased when they saw me. The pony in the middle stared at me, his eyes big and round. I stared back. " _Help me,_ " he croaked. Immediately, a raider shot him, his head exploding. I gasped in terror.

"Looks like we have somepony new to play with," said the stallion who'd just murdered that pony.

"Leave me alone!" I yelled, reaching into a saddle bag Blitz had given me and tossing an apple at them.

Everypony stared at me like I was crazy, until they realized its green stem was caught between my teeth. "GRENADE!" somepony yelled, but they were too late. The apple exploded. I shook my head, feeling jumpy, and I raced forward into the smoke. I somehow got lucky enough to run straight through a doorway on the other side and come out of the smoke and onto the bride of the highway.

I stopped in my tracks, choking on my breath. I tried not to vomit at what I saw. This place was just a funhouse of horrors, wasn't it? I'm not sure I wanted to know what game they were playing, because in front of me were rows after rows of cages, a pony or two locked up and bloodied in each.

Most of these ponies were asleep, or worse, eyes closed and not moving. I paced the rows, wondering what I had stumbled across.

"Hey…" croaked a voice. I turned. In a cage, a green stallion was trying to reach through the bars toward me. He was wearing dark black military clothes, but they were torn and tattered. "Please…get me out of here…"

"Wh-who are you," I stammered.

"Please…" he said again, then slumped, eyes shut.

Shaking my head, I backed away slowly. My hoof scrambled over some broken pieces of road, right before I ran straight into somepony standing behind me. I swear, I think I jumped nearly 3 feet in the air, like Pumpkin Spice does.

"Take it easy there OJ, sheesh. By the way, you nearly fell off the bridge. It's broken past here." I spun around to see Blitzfire. My whole body was shaking.

I punched Blitzy in the arm and he grimaced, "You scared me!"

"Ouch, jeez OJ." Blitz rubbed his arm with the opposite hoof. "Calm down ok? Before you draw the attention of any more raiders." he began to walk off, toward the broken section of bridge. He was walking over a row of wooden planking. "I saw you already caused quite the ruckus anyway. Good job on that. Gotta be quiet now, I haven't finished laying my traps."

I followed along after him, careful of my surroundings. "Um…Blitzy," I said, glancing back at the cages we were leaving behind. "Who are they? Who was that military guy?"

"Military guy?!" Blitz snorted, trying to contain a laugh. "Soldier. And who knows? Probably somepony they captured. Raiders tend to do that."

"Why?"

"Um…Let's just say they like to have their fun."

I cocked my head, "Oh! Like the game the raiders were playing in the other room?!" I was eager now.

"No. Nope. That wasn't a game OJ, if anypony ever asks to play a game, back away slowly."

"Huh? But Pumpkin Spice loves games!" He was really confusing me.

"Ok, let me rephrase. If anypony you don't trust asks, back away slowly."

"Oh, ok." I said. He still wasn't making sense.

He nodded, "Good. Now, we gotta make it to their main camp. Hopefully they didn't hear us over here at this little outpost."

"Outpost?" I questioned.

"Oh, you know. This wasn't their main camp, they just had that setup to keep an eye on the Fort."

"Oh."

We made it across the broken section of bridge. Now we were approaching a convoy of abandoned cars. Mostly army trucks, but it looked like a barricade, because there were some normal looking cars visible through the gaps between trucks. Blitz trotted forward without a care, at least that's how it seemed. That's when the sound of a bullet pinged just a few feet away. He'd just been shot at!

"Yack!" Blitz shouted in surprise.

"What's a yak?" I jumped, looking around for whatever a yak might be.

"No, not that kind of yak. Now get back!" At that moment, a rain of bullets came down at us, and Blitz was shoving me backward to get behind a truck.

"So, I guess they heard us afterall?" I shrugged, smiling nervously and apologetically.

"It's fine." Blitz wasn't even looking at me.

"But I messed up your plan!"

"Actually, this is perfect. We have them concentrated in one place now, plus we took out their outpost. You just gave me a better plan and the Fort a better chance."

"R-really?" I didn't feel like I had accomplished all that.

"OJ, are you okay with splitting up?" Blitz asked me out of the blue.

"Wha? No! Don't leave me!" I gasped, shaking my head.

Blitz put a hoof to my muzzle, "It'll be okay, I know what we need to do."

"Y-you do?" I squeaked.

"Yeah, I just need you to cover me."

"Ok, I will!" I nodded my head firmly in affirmative.

Blitz smiled at me. Leaning forward, he planted a long kiss on my lips. "You got this." Then he was up and gone.

The kiss left me disoriented for a second. I knew my cheeks were red, they were on fire. These were the emotions he triggered in me and I loved it. I loved him. I pulled out my gun.

"Ok, mister." I said to myself. Time for a self talk. "You gotta do this. For him. For the Fort. For the Guardian. I gotta show everypony that I can do it!" I nodded to myself, jumping up on all fours and ready for action.

In the maze of cars I heard more gunfire. I had to get in there now! I raced in there full speed and gave off a few warning shots with the combat shotgun. "Hey bozos!" (something I'd heard from Cherry once), "Over here!" that drew some attention. I saw a raider pop up almost instantly. "Wanna play a game?" I called to him, the barrel of my weapon pointed right down the sights at him.

He certainly wasn't shy, neither did he back away slowly. He came right at me, lifting his own weapon. I reached quickly into my saddle bag for something else Blitz had given me. We'd left prepared. "This game is called catch the knife!" I threw a combat knife at him. It did flips end over end through the air, burying itself in his skull. He stared up at it cross eyed before collapsing. "Hmm…I don't know if he knows how to play that game." I said as I ran past him.

Soon after that, I was greeted by more. I was fast to aim my gun and activate S.A.T.S. I queued shots for two of the three, running out of AP after that. Not to worry, I'd take cover and drink a Sparkle-Cola real quick. I always had to wonder what that would be like in the middle of battle. Not like you could open some sort of pause menu and drink it from there.

I released S.A.T.S. allowing the targeting system to help me out. I didn't think much of it. I was trying to block it from my mind, and right now, it was working pretty well. The two ponies fell and all I thought about was ducking behind the nearest armored vehicle and popping open a bottle from my bag.

"Get out here runt!" yelled the raider shooting at the truck. I was frantically guzzling my drink. The raider appeared around the corner of the truck, pistol in hoof. I threw my half drank soda at him, where it shattered on his forehead, scooting backward as my AP caught up. "Oh, you're gonna get it now," said my attacker.

Right before he fell, smashing into the ground hard.

"Huh?" I narrowed my eyes.

"No he isn't, and that's a fact." came the Guardian's voice, and I looked up to see him approaching me. For some reason, there were two of him.

"Uh…." I blinked, wondering why there were two of him.

"Uncross your eyes OJ."

"Yes Guardian!" I jumped up, focusing again on him. One of him. Him, as in the Guardian, the stallion that hadn't wanted me here. This was my dog day… "Oh…um…hi…" I was suddenly avoiding eye contact.

"OJ, it's ok." said the Guardian in a firm tone. Since when wasn't he firm though?

"What's ok? I'm out here and you said not to and now you're hereandnowyoucaughtme andaren'tIintroubleand—"

"Slow down, Puppydog." the Guardian rested a hoof in my mane. "I'm glad you're here."

"I'm so sorry that I—Wait what? You are?" My whole expression shifted from completely terrified to completely confused in less than a second.

"Of course I'm glad you're here. We need you." the Guardian nodded. He was giving me a gentle smile, and it made my heart flutter like butterflies. I was opening and closing my mouth, staring up at him wide eyed and trying to figure out what to say.

It was at just that moment that Blitz happened to show up. He took one look at me then turned an angry glare at the Guardian. "What did you do to him this time?"

"Nothing," shrugged the Guardian, "I was only saying I made a mistake yesterday." Now Blitz was left looking just as dumbfounded as I, and the Guardian moved past him, leaving him to stand next to me.

"That's…unexpected." Blitz whispered over to me.

"Now I know you two weren't out here all morning doing nothing!" the Guardian called. "Somepony killed all those raiders in the outpost over there. So, what's the plan?" he sounded so casual.

"I was going to set off some explosives near the west side of the camp," Blitz explained. "Concentrate them here, so your Fort ponies could pick them off easily. Only problem is, I can't make it there if OJ can't cover me."

"It's not my fault!"

"Of course not," said the Guardian. "You've been doing well."

Blitz tilted his head, "Who are you and what have you done with Buck?"

The Guardian started laughing! That sound amidst all this carnage made me smile. I don't know if I've ever heard the Guardian laugh, and it was wonderful. It made me start laughing. Almost immediately, the laughing stopped and the Guardian had raised a hoof, shushing me. We all stopped walking.

"What, what is it?" I looked around.

"Nothing, I thought I heard something." the Guardian paused for a moment, then he turned to us. "Blitz had a good plan. I have ponies standing by, all we have to do is give the word. OJ, think you can keep covering our 6?"

I began nodding vigorously, "Mm-hmm!"

"No, OJ, you'd have to keep moving, you can't stop." Blitz iterated for him. "Same pace as us, you know?"

"Oh, oh yeah! I can do that. Gotta go fast!" I beamed.

"Pace yourself Puppydog," the Guardian winked at me.

"O-ok."

Blitz said, "It's time to move out, you ready Orange?" I nodded at him. He exchanged a look with the Guardian then said to me, "Ok, see ya on the other side." the two stallions ran off, leaving me to wonder if I was supposed to fight more raiders or not.

 ** _(Chapter 21 Part 1 posted on 10/6/17 at 10:00am CT_**

 _Hey guys, omg, I'm so sorry for being gone for over a month. I wish I had more time to work on writing. Being a college student can be overwhelming. We just gotta hang in there, together._

 _Anyway, I hope I wrote a hefty chapter here for ya. OJ makes a pretty profound statement up there. He kinda realizes that Blitz may be right. It is a little unfair to be treated the way the Guardian has treated him the last couple chapters._

 _Sneaking out was fun right? OJ is hilarious, thinking this is a game. I think he's cute XD But, that does have a dark side. I had to laugh at myself when he played catch the knife. He was getting carried away, but don't blame him, he doesn't quite understand._

 _We also get to see in this chapter the Guardian finally coming around and realizing his mistake. He's been kinda a jerk to be honest. But he'll make up for it._

 _Can't wait for the next chapter. Some plot changes and moving on to the next leg of the story. I'll be dividing it into two parts. Still gotta battle to commence. That'll be fun to look forward to!_

 _Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Tell me what you thought! I look forward to reading any reviews. Love ya!)_

 **Brohoof /)**


	24. Chapter 21 Good at Goodbyes Part 1

**Chapter 21** Good at Goodbyes

 **Part 1** Battle on the Bridge

I ran after the two stallions, keeping up as best I could. I knew I needed to cover them. I was supposed to protect them, help them fight raiders. It was hard work. It seemed like there was a new raider around each corner. They'd brought an army with them! My heart was pumping, and I could barely breath. My gun floated steadily in front of me, and I kept it aimed straight.

I was already depleted of AP, which translated to low energy. I felt funny, but I didn't know why. Questions pestered me inside my head, like _am I doing this right? Am I helping them?_ Every time I shot and killed a raider, and saw their body drop to the road, it felt like a punch in the gut. But I had to keep remembering the Combat Zone, and how much anger I had felt in that high school lunchroom. I knew they were bad ponies.

Something in me couldn't hate them though. Maybe it could be possible to change them. It was too late now. It seemed like them making a camp on the bridge next to the Fort made everypony angry. So we had to fight.

 _Bam, bam, bam!_ Went the sound of each explosive bullet as I shot the combat shotgun. _Chuck-click!_ Was the sound as I reloaded it. I didn't pay attention to the other sounds. There were so many of them.

Brushing over something hard and jagged on the ground, I stumbled. I fell forward, smashing hard on my face. I yelped out loud, flipping to my side. I lay there, staring at the sky for a moment. The sun had fully risen now. I didn't move and tried to breath normally. I was feeling really hot. My forehead had little beads of sweat, and they trickled down, playing chase with each other.

A bullet whizzed by overhead, I could hear it. I sat up, knowing I was in trouble. _Time to go!_ I thought frantically. I retrieved my weapon, aiming behind and firing randomly as I ran away. I dodged past cars, trying to catch up to my companions.

That's when I got a crazy idea. I would have a way better vantage point if I climbed on top of the cars and took down raiders from up there. I decided to jump to the front to get to the roof of one truck, but instead of jumping that few feet, the aura I was using to carry my shotgun grew to hold me too, and I jumped straight to the roof.

"Whoa," I breathed. I had no clue how I did that.

I was shot at the moment I got up here. I yelled in surprise as I was grazed, then quickly entered SATS. I searched around for the pony shooting at me. The Targeting System located three raiders and Blitz and the Guardian a few rows away. My eyes widened. Ahead of them was a group of raiders, waiting for them. They couldn't see them and SATS said 0% chance to hit any of them.

"Aww, SATS-y, you aren't being very nice right now." I whined.

I began jumping from hoof to hoof, up and down on each of my four feet, like a prance in place. I was nervous. As soon as I left SATS, there probably wouldn't be time to save them. What should I do?!

0% chance…Glancing around, I spotted a rock. "Boulder!" I gasped.

 _Remember the trucks? The big booms? I was there. So cool…_

"That was cool?" I asked him.

 _It was whatever._ Said boulder.

Big booms. 0% chance. There was a gas tank in front of that raider! I targeted him. I released SATS. It was like the bullet travelled in slow motion. I watched it fly through the air, a bird without wings. The gentle ping off the gas tank. Then the fireball that I was waiting for.

It had been risky. Blitz and the Guardian were on the edges of the explosion and I saw them fly backward. "Ack!" I cried. I shot a few crazed glances around, tossed my last grenade at a couple of raiders, and after jumping straight of the car, ran as fast as I could toward where I'd seen my friends.

Cars had been toppled and a few were on their sides. Black marks decorated each of them, and I frowned. Where were they? " _Uhhhh…"_

"Blitzfire?!" I called. I would recognize his voice anywhere no matter what.

"Fuck OJ, was that you?" I finally spotted him laying on the ground a few feet away.

I smiled bright as the fireball I'd caused just now, "Eyup!"

Blitz tried to move, "Augh, fuck. Trapped…"

"Are you two ok?" came a shout as the Guardian galloped in our direction. He came with fire blazing a few feet behind him. The direction of the car I'd shot.

"I've taken worse. Just get me outa here," said Blitz.

The Guardian quickly moved to one side of the tipped car, gesturing me to the other. "That was good thinking by the way, Puppydog. I saw the group of raiders as soon as that explosion went off. Saved us a bit of trouble." we worked together to lift the car enough for Blitz to slide his leg out. I beamed the whole time, loving the praise. I was so glad the Guardian was finally happy.

"You're not bad with that revolver yourself, Ravager," the Guardian added.

Blitz stood shakily, giving a crooked grin, "Eh, specially modified. I've been up north."

"Ah, custom then."

"And old as tartarus." Blitz smiled at the Guardian and winked at me. I'm not sure, but I might be the only one that knew Blitz was over 200 years old. _That's so cool! A secret, hehe._

The Guardian's next words changed the mood, and I'm not sure if it was in a good way or not.

"We've got company."

* * *

"Looks like that explosion did the trick for us," the Guardian elaborated.

"We certainly drew their attention," Blitz laughed.

I couldn't decide between a smile and a frown. I liked to smile though, so I stuck with that. I think I might have giggled too. "Um, who are we talking about?"

The Guardian said, "The raiders from the camp." at that, he grabbed a walkie talkie he had on him, speaking into it. "Cher, the troops ready?"

" _zz-Yes, got 'em armed to the teeth.-zz"_ Came Cherry's voice from the little radio. I ogled the tiny box in the Guardian's hoof.

"Good, because there's basically an army. Field medics at the ready?"

" _zz-Locked and loaded,-zz"_ said Lily's voice.

"Locked and loaded?" Blitz shot a questioning glance at the Guardian.

"Just because they're medics, doesn't mean they aren't trained in combat," he explained. "This is the wasteland after all."

"That actually makes perfect sense," said Blitzfire as he began to move off. "For once," he added.

"Whattaya mean for once?!" the Guardian gasped, but Blitz ignored him. I snickered, it was kinda funny.

We were heading around. The raiders were coming from directly ahead, and we were moving to come in from the back. The Guardian already said half the forces the Fort had sent were circling around under the bridge to come in behind. The rest were joining us. Then it would be a battle. We were protecting the Fort.

"We're protecting more than the Fort, Puppydog," said the Guardian.

"Huh?" I cocked my head.

He chuckled. "You were whispering under your breath and I'm pretty observant."

"Oh…" I blushed furiously.

" _zz-In position. Status on the enemy camp?-zz"_

The Guardian moved forward, staying low. He peered over the back of a car. I saw him narrow his eyes. "It's a doozy," he said into the radio. "Who's ready to party?" He clicked the button on his armor to activate his helmet as he said it. The light on his radio faded. And the front of his helmet lit up. It was pretty intimidating.

" _zz-Did somepony say party?-zz"_ I heard Pumpkin Spice's voice from inside the helmet. It was muffled though.

"No Pumpkin…" the Guardian sighed, "Not that kind of party. What is she doing out here?"

" _zz-I'm here to watch, duh silly! Didn't anypony else bring popcorn?!"_ there was a long pause, " _Oh…no? Ok…Popcorn?-zz"_ I laughed, imagining her holding out a bucket of popcorn to an armored soldier carrying a gun.

"I'd love some popcorn," I licked my lips.

"Focus OJ," said the Guardian, his voice fuzzy through the helmet intercom. "You don't even know what popcorn is."

After a long pause, "What is popcorn?" I asked.

"Now is not the time," the Guardian told me.

"Oh, ok…" I mumbled.

"DOWN, GET DOWN!" Blitz started screaming. Me being stupid and not knowing what he meant started glancing around. Bullets started going off and I saw the Guardian jump straight over me. I watched him soar, imagining a bird, or a pegasus.

" _zz-We have contact. Engaging, over…-zz"_

"Eep!" I yelped. The Guardian was ahead of me, standing sideways, his head turned toward our attacker. He stood tall and proud, defiant. I gushed.

"Ok, that was close. OJ," he turned around to face me and I thought he was mad. That mask on his face looked pretty mad. I think the way Blitz brought himself up behind me, he thought he would be mad too. Static issued from the helmet speakers, the sound of a sigh, "You should watch your surroundings at all times." he said calmly.

"O-ok," I firmly nodded, gulping.

Behind the Guardian, ponies in armor appeared in the gaps between cars, moving up. "We've got 'em pinned!" one soldier called to his comrade.

The Guardian lifted a hoof to his helmet, "Does this mean our troops have circled around the other side of the bridge?"

A short period of silence and then, " _zz-Yes sir. We've got fighting just under a quarter of a click west on the bridge, but we'll bring them to us. We'll have this battle underway within 5 minutes. Over.-zz"_

"That's good," he looked at Blitz and I and spoke to us, "We need to get to the heart of that battle."

"We do?" I yipped.

"Don't worry," Blitz said to me as the Guardian shifted his focus from us back to his radio, "I know you've got a strong rebel heart beating in that beautiful chest of yours."

"...I'm moving in with two others, the Puppydog and an outside contact," the Guardian was speaking.

"R-really?" I glanced wide eyed at Blitzfire. I knew I was feeling something, but my heartbeat was hard to describe.

"There's no doubt," my coltfriend nudged me and I couldn't stop a smile.

"...Cover our flanks, yes. Thank you." the Guardian finally dropped his hoof. "Okay, we're heading in. This battle won't fight itself."

"You got that right," said Blitz. For some reason, he couldn't take his eyes off me when he said it. Something about it seemed sad, but he shot me a reassuring smile. How could I think anything different of it? He'd stick by my side through it all.

So we shot off, running through the cars. I fired my shotgun, Blitz his revolver and Buck an array of energy weapons. We kept dodging past each other, protecting each other from stray raiders. We found ourselves on what I would definitely call a battlefield. The cars were cleared here. The camp was a ways off, and on this open expanse of highway, with few places to hide, it was all out war.

It was okay though! I was by the Guardian's side the whole time. I knew I was safe with him. I smiled up at him, though I don't think he noticed. I faced the raiders, the ones who wanted so badly to attack the Fort. Why did they want to do that?

"I'm the Puppydog!" I screamed, don't ask me why, I'm really not entirely sure. I think Blitz shot me a weird look too.

Leaping, I ended up atop the Guardian's back. He made a loud oof as I landed. I shot a few times, but I still had momentum and I pushed off again. "A little much OJ?" he commented, but I think I heard a chuckle.

" _Buck this!"_ I heard shouting. The bullets flying through the air were becoming less and less. " _They got us trapped boys!"_

" _Yeah! Screw this, I'm out of here!"_

Raiders began leaping to the street below from a chunk taken out of the side of the bridge. I was really confused, and I lowered my shotgun, taking a few steps in their direction. I heard somepony shout for me, but I was too concerned with what the raiders were doing. Wouldn't they hurt themselves? Why were they jumping? They shouldn't do that.

I ran to the cement side, a few feet from the broken area, watching them fall. I saw a nasty sight below. A few bodies, broken and twisted, blood making puddles. I stuck my tongue out. The good thing though, some of those raiders acted as cushions for the raiders after them. Some of them were making it down safely. Those ran off, shouting and looking back up at the bridge with huge eyes.

"They made it…" I breathed.

 ** _(Chapter 21 Part 2 set for 10/14/17 at 12:00AM CT_**

 _Well lookie here. We got a battle on our hooves! Lots of action right? Like the explosions? Straight from Applewood! XD_

 _I wanted to bring this back around to some of the earlier stuff in this story, make sure it still related. I mentioned the trucks again, I brought back Boulder X3 Lol. I love OJs imagination._

 _Can't wait to finish Part 2. I'm in the middle of writing it and it's pretty good. I'm putting in some themes and morals, and then at the end I'll move the story along, to the next part. It'll be a shift._

 _Ok, love ya!)_

 **Brohoof! /)**


	25. Chapter 21 Part 2 Promise Me No Promises

**Part 2** Promise Me No Promises

The Fort threw a celebration that night. I'm not sure I'd ever seen so much food, even for the mess hall. The tables had been rearranged as well to include a buffet. Over at one end of the hall, Pumpkin Spice appeared to be setting up speakers, and I assumed she was preparing to throw a party. It wouldn't be a far off guess.

Beforehoof, the soldiers had been required to head to the infirmary. Everypony needed to be checked to make sure they were safe. That's how the Guardian explained it at least. That was when Lily Bloom had pulled me to the side, saying she herself wanted to be my doctor. I think she wanted to be my friend!

I hadn't seen her in so long, so I decided why not? She was so nice before, and she was so nice this time. She even gave me a lollipop when we were done.

The whole thing took at least an hour. I was told to take off my armor. She shined a light into my eyes, stuck a wood stick in my mouth, put a cold metal circle on my chest. She told me it was called a stethoscope.

"Oh! Can I try," I had shouted excitedly.

"Sure," she'd chuckled, and then let me try. I heard her heartbeat softly. I prefered leaning against Blitzy's chest and hearing his, but it was still fun to use the stethoscope.

Now it was the big dinner in the mess hall and I couldn't stop smiling the whole time. Everypony seemed so happy. There was the sound of loud chatter and the buzz of talking, ponies were eating and drinking. I saw a table where the Guardian was sitting with Cherry and Lily. I trotted over, a goofy smile on my face.

"…I don't think they realize how much this will cost us!" Cherry was saying, "We don't have the supplies for all this."

"Loosen up, Cherry," said Lily, "the Fort deserves this. We haven't seen a victory like that in a very long time." she turned to the Guardian, swiping at her bangs and giving a relaxed smile, "Buck, that Puppydog of yours is exceptional."

"What does the General say about all this?" Cherry was grumbling, but I think they were ignoring him now.

"Hey Guardian!" I exclaimed once I reached their table, but before they could look up at me, a pony blocked my path.

Blitzfire stood there, grabbing one of my hooves and dragging me toward a table with food on it. "OJ, I've been looking for you all night, where have you been?"

"Lily Bloom was giving me a checkup she said!" I yapped happily. I was glad to see my coltfriend.

"Oh, a checkup. Did she give you candy or something?" Blitz was eying me. I wasn't sure what that expression was.

"Mhm, she did! I gotta lollipop. I ate it all though."

Blitz chuckled, "That's what's all over your face then." he reached for a napkin from the table, then he proceed to tenderly touch it to my muzzle. He was soft about it, and I just stared up at him. I looked at his eyes, which were focused on my mouth. His eyes were gentle, full of love.

He set the napkin down. "Are you ok Blitzy?" I asked.

"I'm fine…I was wondering, um, can we just go to your room?"

"Oh…" I glanced around at all the happy ponies. "I don't know. I thought it would be fun to stay out here. Why don't we eat some dinner Blitzy?"

"I…think I'd like that, but I kinda also wanna be alone with you."

I pouted, "Blitz, Pumpkin is about to play music, the Guardian is sitting with all our friends, and I'm hungry. Maybe…we could sit down and eat at a table alone?"

Blitz bit his lip. He was thinking hard about something. "Nevermind OJ. I'll just head to our room and wait."

I opened my mouth to tell him I wanted him to stay, but he was gone to fast. I was left stunned and watching him go.

"What was that about?" I jumped at the Guardian's sudden appearance. He had a way with that didn't he?

"I uh…I don't know." I glanced at my mentor. He was wearing a formal uniform, and he looked really neat. "Nice outfit Guardian!"

"Oh, why thank you OJ."

"Hey, I was wondering something." I started to say.

"Well, don't wonder it without grabbing a bite to eat first. Look, they've even made hayburgers tonight."

"Hayburgers?" I jumped around, facing the table as fast as possible. I wanted a hayburger. "What's a hayburger?"

The Guardian began to laugh, "Well, go ahead and try one." he slid a plate over to me, a hayburger between two buns.

I immediately picked it up and stuffed a big bite in my mouth. "Luna! OJ, you don't gotta eat half the sandwich in one go!" he was laughing his head off.

"Buh ish relly guhd." I said as I chewed, crumbs spewing from my mouth. I looked to the Guardian, who was still laughing. I swallowed my mouthful, then asked, "On the battlefield, you said we were protecting more than just the Fort. What did you mean?"

The Guardian went completely quiet, so quiet it was kinda scary. "OJ, why don't we walk?" he moved off, and I had to follow him. "Do you remember back when we were sitting on the roof, and we were looking out into the wasteland?"

"Oh, oh! When I played DJ Pon3 for you?"

The Guardian gave a soft snort, "Yes, when you played DJ Pon3 for me. Do you remember what I said about the wasteland?"

I tilted my head, not walking for a second. I realized the Guardian was still moving and I trotted to catch up. "No, what?"

"I said that I thought the wasteland was something that could've been made good, but that now it was lost. I realize now I was wrong."

"You do?"

He stopped walking, turning around toward me. "Yes, and you're the one that showed me that. I saw the wasteland with blind eyes, but you're eyes were open. Now you've opened mine."

I opened my mouth, shocked and having absolutely no idea what to say. I wasn't even really sure what he meant. I was lost and confused. That's when I was saved by the bell. Or rather a very loud screeching before Pumpkin Spice's voice came on over the speakers.

"GOOD EVENING LITTLE PONIES!" She screamed into the microphone. "I think we need to kick this celebration off with a little music! Who's with me?" the room burst into stomps of hooves, applause. "Gooood, because I have a plan. Hehe." she bounced away.

The speakers made a crackling sound, and then a voice came out of it. It was a voice I recognized. " _Goooood evening, ponies of my delectable wasteland!"_ at that, the hall erupted into a fit of applause. Pumpkin knew what we liked. Hehe. " _DJ Pon3 here! Owooooo!_

 _Now, I been hearing tell of something that took place down in good ol' Bittsberg. Y'all know about the raiders right? Well apparently they tried to stage an attack. Against the Fort! What were they thinking? We had the Guardian and his little Puppydog swoop in there and save the day! Who'd of thought? The legendary Guardian is at it again."_

That caused the entire room to burst into the loudest applause of the night. Stomping and clops all around, whoops and cheers. It was deafening, but it was spectacular. DJ Pon3 was talking about us! Me and the Guardian! I couldn't believe it. I felt a huge smile on my face, I knew I looked goofy, but so did everypony else.

" _And might I add, the Puppydog was amazing too? It might even be amazing to meet him. Anyway, the battle on the bridge was over as soon as it started. Now, who's ready for music? I think we should celebrate!_

 _I have a surprise for y'all. I just so happened to find me a copy of Songbird Serenade's first ever album! You heard of her right? Well, if not, you're gonna! She was up and coming right before the megaspells fell."_

At that, the music began to play. It was chilling to say the least, but it had a good fast paced beat. I'd say it was fun to listen to. My butt was starting to wiggle, just the way I loved it. Big round booty in your face, hehe. But then my stomach began to rumble. I was hungrier than I realized!

Then I thought of poor Blitzfire. Why did he leave early? The party was just starting. As much as I wanted to stay for this music, I had to go find him. I think bringing him dinner would be a nice touch, so I grabbed two plates and filled each with food. Good thing for my magic, or I'd never have been able to carry it!

* * *

I made it to my bedroom. Upon entering, I found Blitzfire laying on his side on the bed, back toward me. I wasn't sure if he was asleep, but I was stubborn and wanted him to be awake. So I walked myself right over to him and I snapped, "Hey mister! I brought you dinner." He jolted and rolled over as soon as he heard me. I was biting my lower lip. He looked so tired, had I just woken him up?

He sat up, leaning on his foreleg. "Oh, OJ, you didn't have to do that."

"But you weren't going to come back!" I cried out.

He crawled toward me, shaking his head, "Oh, no babe, I would've. I wanted to be with you. I just felt left out I guess…"

"Oh…I'm sorry."

"Please don't be sorry. Hey! How about we head back, bring the dinner, we can have a date!" Blitz was smiling.

"A…d-date?" I sniffled. I was watching him carefully. I felt upset, my heart was thumping, I didn't understand it.

"Please tell me you know what that is." he looked me in the eye, really looked. "Oh. You don't. Well it's a cute and romantic thing that a couple, like us, would do together."

"I…" my ears flicked, but then I smiled widely, "I'd love to!"

Smiling widely, Blitz caught the plate meant for him that I had just accidentally dropped due to my concentration shift. _Whoops!_ I snickered.

* * *

We quickly found a table once we got back to the mess hall. There weren't very many empty ones, especially since they were all meant for more than two ponies, certainly. We were eating, and I happened to have one hoof on the table. He was so quiet. I kept looking at him wondering what he was thinking, but I would always blush and look away before he noticed.

He grabbed my hoof, softly, and rubbed the top. "I notice you noticing me Orange." he said quietly.

I stared at his hoof on mine. "Oh, um. What's up Blitz?"

"What do you mean?"

"…I guess, it seems like you've been acting strange all night."

"Oh. I don't mean to." he withdrew his hoof. I don't know why he did that. I liked when he touched me. I opened my mouth to speak, but he got to it first, "I have to tell you something very important. Something that will be hard for me to say and hard for you to hear."

"Hard?" I didn't understand.

He spoke so fast I almost didn't catch it, "I've gotta leave OJ, and you can't come with me."

It took a moment to process what he'd said. "Can't come with you? What do you mean? Where are you going?" My eyes were round as the dinner plates.

"Shoot shoot shoot," Blitz was cursing under his breath. "Please, I want you to understand…don't make it hard OJ."

"Don't make what hard? Where are you going Blitzy?" I was scared.

"I'm still a treasure hunter," Blitz gave a soft snort and a shrug.

I shook my head, "But…I thought…I would get to help you find Nexy."

Blitz's eyes widened. He looked so shocked, so scared. Just the name elicited something for him. Or he didn't even remember I'd wanted to help. "I-I know you did, but sometimes, things don't work out."

"What doesn't…Blitz, I really don't understand."

Blitz leaned across the table toward me. Planting a huge kiss on my lips, he whispered, "And perhaps, that's for the best."

* * *

We were all outside early that morning. Or at least, it was me, the Guardian, Blitzfire, and Pumpkin; and Cherry was holding the door. Blitz was facing the bridge, alone, the morning sun illuminating him. He was almost a dark shadow in my vision. But I could still make out the recognizable red, black white and gray. Faust I loved him…

The Guardian was pacing somewhere to my right and Pumpkin Spice? Well, she was right by my side. To my left she was energetically bouncing on her hooves. She seemed on the verge of spilling a million words and biting her own tongue off. I was torn between standing still and running to Blitz and making him stay.

 _Ravager…Ravager Blitzfire please don't leave me…_

These words chased each other around and around in my head. It hurt. All this waiting, it just needed to stop. I wanted to be happy again, but something was off. I knew something was wrong. I knew I didn't want him to go. Everypony said it was for the best. Why?

"Blitzy…"

"Orange Juice, please don't. You won't change my mind."

I finally left Pumpkin Spice to her own restlessness and ran to him. "Please kiss m—"

Planting his face into mine with a force that was intense, that stallion was kissing me like he would never see me again. He was diving right into the water, I couldn't see the bottom. "Just," he breathed against my lips, never ever getting enough of me, "be careful," he told me. "I'll love you, trust me."

"What do you mean?" I asked, and I felt like I'd asked a million times since last night.

"I'm gonna love you, like I'm gonna lose you."

"You'll _never_ lose me!" I protested, with all my heart I wanted to reassure him.

"Heh," Blitz chuckled and shook his head. "Promise me no promises, OJ." I was only shaking my head, over and over again. I had a hoof in his mane, mussing it up, but we were intent on each other. He said, "Love ain't simple." smiling like a foal.

"Goodbye Blitzy."

He got that faraway look I knew whenever he was thinking about Nexus Spark. "I'm way too good at goodbyes."

He gave me one last kiss that was nothing compared to the before, nothing compared to last night. Just a simple peck on the lips. Then before I knew what was happening, he was walking away, gone toward the bridge. I made a weird little jump in his direction, but I got nowhere because I had no idea what I was doing. My legs were sprawled in a crazed stance. I shook my head…

He wasn't too good at goodbyes that it was a bad thing. Nopony could be because, "Goodbye doesn't mean forever!" I yelled as loud as I could. I knew he stopped in his tracks because I could hear his laughter. At least I'd made him smile.

 ** _(Chapter 22 set for 10/25/17 at 11:30pm_**

 _Aww...this one was sad. It started out happy, of course everypony is happy! They just won, the first victory the Fort has seen in so long. They just needed the right Puppydog. The Guardian and his Puppydog are essential to the structure of the Fort, and it took the Guardian a bit to figure it out. So here we are, moving onward as I said. I loved bringing DJ Pon3 back by the way!_

 _I_ swear _there's a broadcast in Stable 28 about the Battle on the Bridge scene. I looked and looked, at least 4-5, many times each month for probably 2-3 months. I literally cannot find that broadcast I so clearly remember reading in Stable 28. Yolo! There's broadcasts in there! I was gonna base it off that one, but I had to wing it because I couldn't find it._

 _Sorry that's a tangent. DJ Pon3 is so fun to work with. He's good to use as a character, even if he is just a voice on the radio. He brings a sense of peace. Speaking of peace, we went straight from that to serenity to really really intense sadness didn't we. It's so bitterweet to see him go like this, especially so soon! It's been only about 8-10 days in all honesty. Less than 2 weeks. But don't ever forget what OJ says, because he's said it before. Goodbye doesn't mean forever._

 _Can't wait to read your comments! Look forward to the next chapter. I'm kickstarting it forward and to the next part. Hehe. Love ya!)_

 **Brohoof /)**


	26. Chapter 22 Pain Pills

**Chapter 22** Pain Pills

"Come on OJ," the Guardian had his hoof around my shoulders, lending comfort, "Lily wanted to see you this morning."

"What for?" I looked up at him with perked ears.

The Guardian gave a soft laugh and looked off into space, "Eh, just some concerns I guess, after your check-up yesterday."

I nodded my head up and down quickly, "Alright!" I think I'd only seen her once or twice anyway since I'd been back from my adventure with…Blitz.

Thinking his name made me hang my head again. I didn't want to think that he'd left. That I probably wouldn't see him again. No! Hold you're head up high, what are you thinking? You'll get to see him again. He's your coltfriend. That was right wasn't it? What did it really mean?

It had been less an hour and I missed him already.

I looked forward to seeing Lily Bloom. I thought she was really nice, and plus I didn't get to see her much. I was smiley as I skipped into the medical wing and opened the door to the exam room. Lily sat in her little spinny chair, and I looked at it with longing. She noticed, and gave a quick laugh.

"You can sit down here if you'd like," she said as she got up to shut the door. "I'm not much one for the the examinin table either."

"I just don't like the crinkly paper," I stuck my tongue out at the bed.

Lily smiled as she went to the counter. She pulled open a drawer, saying, "Understandable. Now, OJ, I wanted to talk about some results from that test yesterday."

"Test?" I looked at her like I'd heard a funny noise.

"I took a blood sample, remember?" I thought back to it, and I remembered the needle. I didn't like the needle. It made me think of the Stable. I nodded my head up and down really fast at her. "And the blood pressure arm band? Remember that it squeezed ya?"

"Mhm, it hurt a lot."

"On your back leg, yes."

"Yeah, you moved it to the front."

Lily giggled, but dropped her smile. "OJ, I want to take an X-ray. I normally don't do this unless I think it's serious."

"Serious?" I perked my ears as I watched her moving a large machine on a cart near me.

"This is just gonna take some pictures. I want ya to hold still ok?" Lily asked me with a reassuring look on her face. I nodded, but my ears were laying flat now. The box on the cart was humming and getting louder.

She pointed a part of it at my flank and leg, and then it made a high pitched squeal. "Just a couple more here," she mumbled to herself, readjusting the machine. It made the squeal a couple more times, then Lily bustled away, into another room, her coat billowing behind her. I sat in silence, twiddling my forehooves together as I waited.

"OJ!" the sudden call made me jump. "Would ya come in here please?"

I hopped up, landing on all fours. I didn't realize it until just now, but I was biting my lip. Lily glanced at me, "Oh don't look so startled. It'll be fine. Just wanted to show you." she looked back at what she'd pinned up to the wall. The wall was glowing, and a bit dirty. Three images were there, the light shining through them to illuminate what looked like bones. "Are…those my bones?" I gulped.

She had one hoof to her muzzle, "Well…yes, but there's somethin wrong."

"Wh-what is it?" I was beside her now.

She pointed up at the one of my flank, "This here is concernin." I looked and saw she was pointing at a crack in a big bone that was in my hip. "Something had to of caused this, but it's not there. OJ," she turned to me, "have you been experiencing any pain recently?"

"Pain?"

"Yeah, um, has your hip been hurting at all, or has it felt funny when you walk?"

I shook my head back and forth, "Nuh-uh."

"That's the darndest thing…" she turned back to the pictures.

"Those pictures are really cool," I commented. I actually did think they were interesting. It would be a little less scary if they weren't from me though.

She nodded, "Well, yes…" she trailed off, lost in thought. Then she immediately turned to me. "OJ, you aint gonna to like this, but I need to test somethin."

I already didn't like it. "Oh…okay.."

"Ok. Can ya sit on the examinin table?" she asked me. Her eyes were welling with worry.

I eyed it, "Oh, the one with the paper?"

"Mhm, that there's the one." she was biting her lip. As I got up onto the table, she opened a drawer, pulling out a tiny looking hammer.

"Wh-what's that Lily Bloom?" I stammered.

"It's just a little reflex mallet. I'm not gonna hurt ya. Just gentle taps. You okay with that?"

I nodded hesitantly. "Y-yeah, sure."

"Okay," she moved over to me carefully, mallet in her mouth. "Now just lay down," she nodded to me, speaking around the handle. I did so. "Thank ya kindly. Now you just tell me if it hurts okay?"

"Mhm…" I said, resting my head on my forelegs.

I watched her sideways as she moved to my flank. She gently tapped near my hoof with the little silver mallet. "Nothin?" she asked.

"Nothing." I swallowed. She moved a little up my leg, tapping again. "Nope." She tapped a little higher, "Nmm-mm." I was watching her with anticipation now. She had me on the edge, and I was scared something would happen. She tapped again, just below the flank. Only the tiniest of taps, just like before.

"Augh, ooh…." I sucked in a breath.

"Right there?" Lily looked me in the eye. She hated doing it, I knew.

"That hurt!" I whined.

"I'm sorry sugar dumplin…Lemme just tap a couple more times, okay? To be sure. We gotta know the precise spot that it's in."

"O-okay…" I didn't want it to—"Ahhh! That was worsssssee…." I was biting my lip hard, sucking in a long breath as she tapped a third time. "A little better."

"Alright, so I can safely say it's right were the femur meets the tibia."

"Huh?" I rose my head, not quite understanding her.

"Oh, nothin darlin. I'm just prattling. But I know what's making the fracture worse."

"Fracture?"

She moved off, and it seemed like she was ignoring me. "I just gotta write something down. I'll be right back." she said as she headed from the room. "You can get off the table if you want!" she called at the last minute, right as the door closed.

I got up, and I glanced down at myself. It didn't look like anything was wrong, and I felt fine when I walked. I ran into the room with the pictures on the glowing wall. It didn't hurt when I ran either. I stared at my bones, it was creepy, but kinda cool.

I glanced over my shoulder, feeling like I was being watched, but Lily wasn't here. I looked back at the pictures. They were black and white, but the glow kinda made them look blue. I'm not sure what Lily was seeing that was wrong. Where was this fracture? What even was a fracture? She said femur and tibia. What were those? I'm guessing that's were the fracture was, but I didn't know what I was looking for.

"OJ?" Lily was back.

"Oh, I'm in here, sorry."

"No need to be sorry darlin." I went back to the examining room. "Here, I gotcha somethin."

"Ooh, what is it?!" I started jumping up and down. Lily winced and I slowed to a standstill. "Is it candy?"

"Not quite." she held up a metal box, "It's not ideal storage, but in this here little tin can is what's called medicine."

"Medicine?"

"Yes, it's called Med-X, it's a painkiller. For now, that's the best I can do."

"What does it do?" I asked her as I took the case.

"What does it—it makes pain go away. If your hip ever hurts, you just gotta take the medicine. You inject it right into your leg." she nodded to my flank.

"Oh…is it with a needle?"

"Just a tiny one, only a pinch. It's fast and easy and worth it." she gave me a small smile. "It's the best I can do. Knowing the Guardian, if I did anything else, he would take you off training right away, I'm sure of it."

"Oh! I don't want that!"

"Right. Now, off ya go! If anything gets worse, you come to me. I'd rather fix ya before it's a big problem."

"Okay, thank you Lily Bloom."

"Don't think nothin of it sugar."

* * *

 _How bad could it get in the Stable? You couldn't find light with the mares, even the nice ones. It was worse when even the stallions were mean to each other. Most of them were mean to me. Particularly the UPs just under me. They'd always been mean in the nursery, and they didn't stop after graduating. I thought I'd put the day from my mind, but when it came up, it still freaked me out._

 _Now we were in a hidden corner at some mare's party. But nopony cared where we were. They didn't care that the yellow stallion and his gray buddy had pounced me and I was all alone. I was on the floor, the cold metal pressing into me, while they stood above me, laughing and kicking me._

 _"You think being different is a good thing, colt?" the yellow one laughed._

 _"Only good thing ya got is sticking up for number one." the gray one snickered._

 _Yellow kicked me in the gut again, "You obviously can't do that for yourself, so why even bother, right?"_

 _I tried lifting my head, "Bother with what guys?" I tried smiling._

 _"Bother with being alive, lowlife!" they stopped for a second to guffaw at each other, then went back to hurting me._

 _My eyelids were drooping, and I wasn't sure what would happen. I wanted to stand up again, thought maybe I could. But I was really tired. Maybe it would be better to be back in my cell right now. Then there was a red flash, and the kicking stopped._

 _"Hey! What the hell?"_

 _"Get the buck off me, colt!"_

 _I tried opening my eyes wider to see what was happening. I could barely manage a squint, but there he was. I recognized him. I smiled, really happy to see him. I'm not sure I'd seen him in a long time. "Hey, there you are!" I called to him. Red. My red._

 _"Colt, buck this! Let's get out of here." said Yellow, or Gray, I'm not sure._

 _I tried standing up on shaky knees, wanting to hug the unicorn who'd saved me. He let me fall onto him, "Hey now, you shouldn't be trying to walk."_

 _"What else am I gonna do?" I chuckled. "Gotta go have fun right?"_

 _"Was that your idea of fun Orange?"_

 _I fell down, slipping from his shoulder. What had he called me? Were we allowed to do that? Call each other things? Didn't matter, the Stable was slipping away…he was there…above me…one second…then he wasn't…I couldn't see, but there was the ceiling above me…there were two mares, but what did they want?_

 _"H-Hey…" I thought they'd want me to service them. But I was too tired…_

* * *

"Gah!" I snapped awake, bolting upright. My chest was heaving with breath. Pain, something hurt really bad. "Ah…ow, ow…." I whimpered, glancing around.

That was a weird dream. I don't remember it ever happening, but something about it felt real. But colts didn't do that to each other right? We couldn't, we'd get in trouble. But I couldn't focus on recalling it, the dream was already disappearing. All I could think was, where was that tin box? Lily gave me medicine to make pain stop. I had to find it.

I tried kicking the covers off, and that sent knife blades scoring across my flesh. I nearly fell out of bed. I knew I could do this though. "If I was a little tin box, where would I be?" I asked aloud.

"I'm over here OJ! Silly!" I turned toward my dresser, giggling.

The box was playing hide and seek! "Where box? In the dresser?"

"Betcha can't guess what drawer!" laughed the box. I could hear it though, so I said,

"Top drawer?"

"Aww, how'd you know?"

I opened the drawer, grabbing the box. I opened it up, speaking to myself as I did, "Lucky guess?"

Inside the box were the promised pain pills. Pills…why were they called that? Didn't Lily say they were needles? I didn't know really, she had only told me to poke myself with them and it would only pinch a little. I was skeptical but I knew it was for the best. Besides, I was optimistic and believed in my friends. If she said it'd help, I trusted her!

I put the needle right where she'd told me to, just below my flank. It did pinch and I made a hissing sound with my tongue against my teeth. I'm not sure I'd look forward to these ever 6 hours, no siree. But she'd been right. Almost instantaneously, the pain went away, first going numb, then feeling pretty much a thousand and one times better. Why I added the one, I have no idea. Hehe!

I pretty much ran straight for the training room. I didn't know who I expected I'd find there, but I don't think it was too much of a surprise to find Cherry there. He was in the first starting gate, earmuffs on, gun ablazing. There was only a single hole in the target at the end of the track. Perfect aim. He had a pistol, I'm not sure what kind because I'm not the best at telling the difference between a 9mm and a 10mm. I think the 10mm is bigger?

I had my shotgun. I went skipping into there like I knew exactly what I was doing. Isn't that the best way to treat every situation? Especially when I felt this good! I made it to a stall, picking up the earmuffs. I was just putting them on and starting to raise my weapon in my magical turquoise aura, when a hoof fell on my shoulder. I was startled.

"What the buck do you think you're doing?" said Cherry Blossom.

I glanced up at him, moving one muff from one ear and saying, "Huh?"

"You heard me. You think it's okay to use a shotgun all willy nilly like this barely a week back, technically your 15th day ever in here? And yeah, I'm keeping track." he leaned toward me, sneering. "Especially since you never log your Faust forsaken hours."

"Wha?"

"You're not ready for a bucking shotgun! Ain't ya listening?" a little bit of a country accent similar to his sister's came out there.

I snickered at the hint of an accent, and he yelled, "You think something's funny maggot?! You're lucky I'm not the Guardian or you'd have dropped and given me fifty, _yesterday!_ "

"O-oh…sorry," my ears flattened against my head as he narrowed his eyes at me in a menacing glare.

A huge smile burst on his face and he began laughing hysterically. He had to wipe a tear when he's done, "This is why I reckon I'd be no good at being a drill sergeant. All those stallions in the yard, ha! I'd murder the lot!" he was still laughing. And using his country accent. I liked it, it suited him. He sounded a lot more friendly, certainly, except when he was mad. He was exceptionally scary no matter what when he was mad.

I braved a smile and a squeak, "Uh-huh."

He frowned again, "But seriously Orange Juice, you gotta start small. You're thinking too big here. Wanna destroy an entire practice target?" he wandered off shaking his head.

"Uh…isn't that what I'm supposed to do?" I said to myself.

"Here, practice with this first. And take my example," he indicated the target with the single smoking hole.

"O-oh, yeah, r-right." _No way can I do that, oh Celestia!_ I thought with a panic.

"Hahaha, is this old buck giving you trouble?" the Guardian walked in, a smile on his face as he looked over me.

Cherry narrowed his eyes, his voice returning to normal, "You're the buck, Buck."

"That's right Cher," said the Guardian as the other pony wandered off back to his lane. "Hey, I'm glad to see ya in here Puppydog!"

"You are?" I asked him, feeling fuzzy.

"That's right. Train up, I wanna see ya at level 10 in 4 days."

"L-level wha?" I gulped.

"He's messing with you!" Cherry called from his stall. "It's an old joke, it doesn't really mean anything."

The Guardian shook his head. I asked, "Why 4 days?"

"I got something planned." and that was that. He walked away and as per usual, the Guardian was ever cryptic.

* * *

 _"Do we use Jet? He's not waking up."_

 _"Not like we're supposed to use it anyway."_

 _"Go ahead, and hurry, before she gets here."_

 _Something pricked me, and my vision went from dark to fuzzy to blurry and finally back to a normal clear. I saw a light above me, ponies near me just shadows. I jumped, but I was in a bed. "Ack!" I gasped._

 _"Is he awake—ah, he is." suddenly the light was off, and a pony was in my face. Zebra pony! Oh, uh, Lens Cap! Yeah! I hadn't seen her in awhile."You count your lucky stars that I was at that Faust forsaken party! And that I didn't decide you weren't worth my time!"_

 _"What?" I said groggily. Why was I so tired? I felt like I'd slept a thousand and one years._

 _Lens Cap shook her head. Ignoring me, she turned to the doctors, "Well? Damage report!" The mares glanced at each other, scratching their heads. "Oh right, you don't get security lingo. Tell me the medical report."_

 _"Right!" nodded one mare like she'd understood the entire time. "Well, we haven't checked the X-rays just yet, but he's healed up pretty well."_

 _"Ok, that's good." she turned, "Faust, I shouldn't give a damn." she was shaking her head. "Get him back to his cell, my queue's expired."_

 _"Yes ma'am." both mares said. They shuffled toward me. I was watching Lens Cap and that security coat fwoosh as the door opened, and I got to the floor before anypony could help me up._

 _"Lens—AUGH!" I yelled as my hooves slammed the ground and it felt like a bed of boulders were shifting in my leg. They were all falling down and crunching over each other and now I was falling down and "AHHH, ow ow ow!" I whimpered._

 _Lens Cap spun to, staring down at me with a blank look. "Buck this. What's wrong?"_

 _"Bad day?" one mare whispered to the other._

 _"Leg," I moaned. It was the only word I could manage. Other than that I could only breath and whimper. If I tried to move my leg, it sent pain shooting all the way through my backside._

 _"Give him some pain pills, and I swear to Faust, if a single pony finds out you gave him Jet, it's on the department head, not me." then she turned and stormed out, the door slamming hard behind her._

 _"How in the Stable did she know about that?" the mares were whispering._

 _A needle pricked me…_

* * *

I woke with a rush of breath, my chest heaving fast. I sat up, glancing around my dark room. Was that a dream, or a memory? I don't remember Lens Cap in a hospital room before, but it felt real. Besides that, it explained why I called Med-X pain pills when Lily Bloom called them needles. I recognized them now! But I still didn't know if it was a dream or if it was real.

I got up, my leg stiffening. I looked around quickly, searching for my pain pills. That's one of the few things I was able to focus on the past couple days. I pulled open my drawer, and as I opened the tin box, I realized, it'd been 4 days now! Today was the day the Guardian was planning something!

~Objective: Meet the Guardian at the Southeast Highway Gate B

My Pip-Buck alerted me. I shook my head back and forth, trying to clear my head. I was getting a headache and I need a pain pill now. The tin…it was empty. But wasn't I supposed to take it everyday? Twice a day? _Buck! I mean, Oh no!_

I burst from the room, running for Lily Bloom's office. I didn't have much time. The medical wing was on the complete opposite side of Section B. When I shoved the door open, I'm sure I looked like a crazed raider.

"Faust! OJ, y'all scared me." Lily Bloom had a hoof over her heart. "Y'all look like a raider who's done taken a bit a Jet."

"Jet?" I huffed between breaths.

"Here, lemme give a quick check up." she said. Holding her hooves up when I cocked my head, she said, "Now don't look at me like that just yet fella, I know y'all gotta important date with the Guardian. I'll be fast."

She was right, she took some blood, ran into another room and came back a couple minutes later. But she looked pale.

I'd gotten a moment to calm down and I wasn't breathing so hard. "Lily? What's wrong? Does it have something to do with why my leg hurts?"

"I already know why your leg hurts. It's somethin else."

"Wha?" now I was really befuddled. She was speaking in riddles.

"You're addicted to Med-X, OJ."

I stared at her like she was crazy for a moment. Addicted to Med-X? B-but…is that really…"What does addicted mean?"

"OJ, why'd ya give me that look so long for if y'all don't even know what an addiction is?!" Lily crossed to the other side of the room. "Here, Ima fix this right quick, and then you're off on your way. But I'm puttin the straw down on this one, I can't let this be going on no more. Training put on hold until that leg heals. We'll take a better look when y'all two are back."

"But what if we're gone awhile? I need pain pills—Med-X, don't I?" I felt worried by what she was saying, but I had no idea why.

She passed me something, "Eat this and don't ask questions." I did. "Now, I'm giving you this baggie, 4 , uh, watcha call ems, pain pills and that's all ya get, period. Now get."

I shot up, she was being serious. I did look back though to ask another question as I always do, opening my mouth, "But—"

"Puttin the straw down OJ." and that was final.

 ** _(Intermission I set for 10/31/17 (Posted 11/1/17 at 12:00pm) THATS RIGHT, YOU ASSUME CORRECTLY, I HAVE PLANNED FOR YOU A LOVELY NIGHTMARE NIGHT CHAPTER_**

 _Now, I do gotta say, even I think this chapter has a bit of a cold feel to it. I wasn't quite intentional with the mood of it, and I wasn't quite sure what I wanted from this, but I guess it is what it is._

 _I did attempt to play with OJ's innocence a lot. I wanted him to be more playful and optimistic, plus a little less knowledgeable of certain things. I'm trying to maintain his character and at points I feel like I'm losing it. I hope I'm not! I love OJ and he should be our innocent little pony for always, right? He does gotta grow up sometime, but the story isn't over yet and not quite to that point. Yes, there's been growth. It's been lovely and it's certainly noticeable. Whattaya think of this?_

 _It also has to do with a lot of medical things yes. I do think I needed more Lily Bloom for sure! And I got to mess around a bit with that lovely Apple Jack accent. Know how Pumpkin is related to Pinkie, well lets say Lily and Cherry are probably descended from AJ. Lol, but I loved the accents! Even using it with Cherry, because yes, he has one, when he doesn't keep it in check, or when he's not caring. He's the type that probably has family issues, and so tries to keep that buried behind him. But he does love his sister very much._

 _Anyway, not at all the point of the chapter. But honestly, lets leave it up for interpretation! I mean, the dream flashbacks. I messed around with that a bit, and it's certainly something open for interpretation. This chapter has been pretty heavy, I mean it was 11+ pages on a Google Doc. So get to commenting XDD Love ya! Can't wait for the Intermission, it's gonna be fun and laid back for once, I promise hehehe.)_

 **Brohoof! /)**


	27. Intermission I Apple Bobbing

**Intermission I** Apple Bobbing

 _(Note, this chapter takes place out of context from the rest of the story. It falls into the timeline sometime after Chapter 23)_

"Holy cra _bapples!_ " Pumpkin Spice came bursting into the mess that morning. It wasn't unusual of course, but it made me laugh every time.

I was snickering under my breath, but I abruptly stopped when Cherry sitting across from me gave me a glare. He turned to the energetic little pony and grumbled, "Pumpkin Spice, do you have to do that _everyday_?"

Pumpkin paused mid bounce, in the air as she sometimes did, and cocked her head. Then her hooves connected with the floor again and she said, "Yes! Today's different, but yes!" then she smiled brightly.

Lily Bloom put her hooves together, resting her chin on them and looking to the mare, "How so, Pumpkin?"

"Ohhhhh, you know," she rolled her hoof as a prompt, "only that Nightmare Night is this week!" she was standing on the tips of her front hooves, leaning precariously forward toward Lily Bloom with wide accusing eyes.

"Pumpkin, you'll fall if you keep doing that," said the Guardian as he came to the table with his breakfast and slid into a seat next to me. I smiled up at him, happy to see him.

"I'm an acrobatic! I can't fall!" She said smart-alecky. Then she commenced to fall flat on her face. She popped up with laughter.

Out of everything, the only thing my mind pulled from it was, "What's Nightmare Night?"

"Oh. Em. Faust!" Pumpkin's mouth dropped to the floor. "You don't know what Nightmare Night is?"

"Now Pumpkin, keep in mind…" the Guardian gave her a look. "You know how _I_ was."

Cherry gave a sudden burst of laughter, "You were arrogant, he's naive! There's a difference, Buck." he was shaking his head.

"OJ!" Pumpkin screamed, interjecting into the small tangent.

Everypony paused to stare at her. "Yes, Pumpkin Spice?" one of my ears flicked. She burst into a big smile.

"I have the perfect idea for Nightmare Night this year and you're going to be a part of it!" she screeched.

"Oh come on Pumpkin," said Cherry, "ponies don't celebrate that holiday anymore."

Pumpkin Spice shook her head, waving a hoof in front of Cherry, "Not without me they wouldn't. Don't be a Negative Nancy! The Fort loves my parties." with that, she grabbed my hoof and commenced to drag me from the room forcibly.

" _Pumpkiiiiiinnn!_ "

* * *

"La di da!" Pumpkin was humming as we bounced into her shop. She was as energetic as always, but it was kinda freaky.

"What are we doing anyway?"

"Did you check your PipBuck? I bet you'll have a new quest called Operation Nightmare Night, right abouuuuut…"

Quest added

OPERATION NIGHTMARE NIGHT

Was what appeared in the upper left corner of my EFS. "Now!" she smiled at me. How did she know that would happen? She'd even guessed the exact name! That was soo cool!

"You're awesome!" I gasped.

"No, I'm just me," she shrugged.

"So what are we gonna do?" I asked her.

"We're gonna get ready! I'm gonna paint your face!" she grinned.

"P-paint my face?" what in Equestria did she mean by that? I wasn't sure what she would do.

She sat me down in one of her barber's chairs. "Don't you worry about a thing. I'm an expert!"

"You are?"

"No!" After that she was completely silent as she opened drawers and pulled out what I assumed were the paints. She was focused now too. She brought the paintbrush to my face, "Now this is gonna tickle mister, and be really _really_ cold."

It was, like liquid ice. I nearly burst from the chair. I'd never had anything like this happen to me. I wondered what she was doing. It certainly did tickle though, she was right. I was trying hard not to giggle as the brush bristles made strokes across my cheeks.

"What are you making me look like?" I asked her.

"Welllll," she held the word, "you _are_ orange. What do you think I'm gonna make you look like?"

I tried to move to the side so I could look in the mirror, but Pumpkin followed, blocking my view. "No cheating!"

"But I don't know!" I exhaled. I was really trying to rack my brains to figure out anything it could be, but I didn't really know what a lot of things were.

"I'll give you a hint." she winked at me, her autumn orange eyes sparkling at me. "It has to do with my first name."

"Pumpkin? Is a Pumpkin a thing?" I asked.

"Of course a pumpkin is a thing!" she giggled into a hoof, getting a little black paint on her own face. "Okay, here, I'll just show you. I'm done anyway, and it's super…what did you call it? Amazing?"

"But you're just you…" I was saying as she moved to the side and let me look in the mirror. This time I really did jump from the chair. I landed behind it, my whole body shaking. "Wh-what d-did you make me!?" what I'd seen had completely frightened me.

"I made you a jack-o-lantern silly, because you're orange and _pumpkins_ are orange." she had her head tilted, like she didn't quite understand something. "Why are you scared OJ?"

"B-because it looks scary!" my voice trembled and I could barely speak. I was biting my lip too.

"Oh OJ…" she ducked down so she could be eye level with me. "It's not supposed to be that scary. I think it just startled you, that's all. Come on! It's gonna be fun!" she straightened up and offered her hoof to me.

I grabbed it and let her pull me up. I glanced at the mirror and flinched. But Pumpkin had my hoof and she said it wasn't supposed to be that scary. "A j-jack-o-lantern huh?" I gulped.

"Yeah! I might have to dye your hair brown though."

"R-really?" I asked her. "What for?"

"Oh nevermind that, it isn't important for right now." she laughed, which made me make a nervous giggle. "For right now, we're gonna get these ponies in the Nightmare Night spirit!"

"Yeah! That'll be fun!" I nodded and followed her out of the room.

* * *

Pumpkin Spice was playing a song on something she called a tape player. It was a song called This is Nightmare Night, as Pumpkin told me. Right now, she was singing it off pitch as we wiggled and bounced down the hallway. I was laughing as ponies opened their doors trying to figure out what was going on. A couple ponies gave me weird looks, but everypony smiled at my facepaint. I smiled widely right back.

"Who wants to throw a party?!" Pumpkin Spice called.

Behind us were cries and cheers. Everypony seemed to want to. At the intersection between hallways, Pumpkin spun around. "OJ!" she screamed, "We gotta go plan a _partay_!"

"Yeah!" I shouted.

I ran after her as she turned down a random hallway. We were running toward a staircase. Pumpkin was giggling and as we approached the top, I saw her enter a doorway, light spilling onto the landing. Her giggles trailed after her up the stairs that were through that doorway. A light far above swung back and forth.

"Pumpkin?" I called up as I took a step onto the first cold metal step. "This is kinda creepy you know!"

I began walking upstairs. It was a staircase that hugged the close together walls, and spiralled round and round upward. I was going slow, kinda wary, hesitant. But an objective popped up,

~Objective: Follow Pumpkin Spice.

"Pumpkin?!" I headed up the stairs, getting even more freaked out. I didn't know what was going on, or what was up those stairs. But I had to follow Pumpkin Spice. "We're still planning a 'partay' right?"

At the top of the stairs, a gray haired pony popped out of nowhere, from above. I screamed and almost fell down the stairs backward. The crazy old mare grabbed me, screeching, "Ehehe! Gotcha didn't I?"

"H-huh?" I was shaking.

"OJ?" the mare landed on the floor, "It's me, Pumpkin Spice. This is my Nightmare Night costume."

"Oh. Y-you scared me."

"Then the costume did it's job, didn't it silly?" she cackled, "I'm a witch by the way." then turning toward the open door at the top of the stairs, "Now come on, this is my flat."

"Flat?" I didn't know what that word meant, other than in the sense of a pancake.

"If only I could live in a pancake!" Pumpkin laughed. She led me into her quarters, and it took my breath away.

"Whoa!" it was like the palace the pink mare had back in Stable 28.

"This is like somepony's quarters, except, bigger. It's called a flat because it's a little mini house on one floor."

"A mini house," I breathed as I walked into the living space. I passed a couch, a big blue thing with white dots all over it. Right above it were some brown heavy drapes. They were made of a rough material. I ran my hoof through them.

Across from the couch was a box with a black bubble screen, and on the concrete wall behind that were black and white photos of the Guardian, Cherry, Lily and Pumpkin. "Oh yeah! Those old things. I remember when we found a working camera! That was about 8 or 9 years ago!" Pumpkin called from another room.

I made my way around the couch. The ceiling was decorated with more strands of cloth, and toys with wings off them were hanging from above too. Pumpkin came in from the other room, "I remember those. They're called airplanes. Models, of course." She came to stand right next to me, peering up at them. Her big gray wig bobbed as she tilted her head, wisps of thin hair trailing off of it. She really did look old. "When I was a filly, I wanted to fly. I found these goggles, and I remember once trying to always build up my model airplane collection. I got quite a few. Faust, that was so long ago."

She had a faraway look in her eyes and I turned to her, "Pumpkin? You okay?"

"Before the Fort," she smiled wistfully. "Those were some times." she suddenly spurred into action, grabbing my hoof again, "But look at me now! Nipony candy collection!"

"Ack, Pumpkin!" I shrieked, but I was laughing.

"How does apple bobbing sound for a party game?"

"I don't know what that is, but I love it!"

* * *

Nightmare Night was just 3 days after going to her flat, and in those days we spent a lot of time converting one of the training courts into a dancefloor. That's what Pumpkin told me. Our other friends helped too! Also, some ponies from the Fort that Pumpkin knew. It was such a fun time working all together and hearing them sing Nightmare Night songs that I'd never heard before. Songs like that even played on DJ Pon3's channel.

Then it was time for the party. I saw ponies wearing all sorts of costumes. It was scary and fun all wrapped in one. The table had some creepy treats that some ponies of the kitchen staff helped make. Pumpkin was nowhere to be found, but she'd told me a couple hours ago she was planning to make a big entrance. I was excited.

She'd redone my jack-o-lantern makeup, and she'd also made me a black cape and vest. "I look so cool!"

"Yeah ya do!" she'd hoof bumped me.

"Like a foal in a candy shop," chuckled Cherry Blossom.

Lily Bloom's costume was a mystery too. Apparently it was really big, and the ponies that worked on uniforms helped make it. I was glad to see that everypony was getting into the spirit.

The lights dimmed and everypony got silent. Who was controlling the music? Then a cackling filled the court. On a broomstick, in swooped Pumpkin Spice, wearing her gray wig with its spiders, and a huge shiny black witch hat with see through purple ribbon.

"Ehehe, good evening ponies! Introducing me, Wicked Witch of the Pie! And now, the Mare in the Moon herself, Nightmare Moon!"

The lights turned blue as Pumpkin landed and a hush fell over court. A sadistic laugh even more cruel than Pumpkin's witch cackle filled the cold air. Fog filled the room and there were a few gasps. "Hello, my pretties. Miss me?" And then a large mare appeared from the smoke. She was mostly blue, but there was a crescent moon cutie mark, set in wavering dark on her flank. She had big wings and a long horn. She wore a helmet, and from within, slitted pupils looked down on us. I'd never seen anything like it. I was wide eyed with shock.

"Impressive right?" Pumpkin Spice whispered in my ear.

"Gah!" I jumped, turning to her. "What is it?"

"Nightmare Moon was an Alicorn. She's also known as Princess Luna. Nopony knows if she or her sister are even still alive." Pumpkin was speaking in a dark, mysterious tone, waving her hooves cryptically as she backed away into the fog. I was turning back to the scary Mare that was landing in the center of the court when Pumpkin jumped at me again, "It's just a costume by the way. That's Lily Bloom."

"Gah! You keep scaring me."

"Hehe, good dearie." She said in a creepy old mare voice. Then I saw her show up onstage. "Give it up for Lily Bloom!" she was saying even as the room was bursting into applause. "The first event of the evening we will be holding a costume contest! And the pony who wins gets a free stash of Nipony candy! Now get yo bootays onstage!" Music started up as the fashion show started.

I went over to the big barrel set up for the apple bobbing game. I wasn't sure how it worked, so I wanted to figure it out. I watched a mare dunk her face into the water. "What's she doing?" I asked aloud, not expecting a response.

"She's bobbing for apples." said a cream coated stallion next to me. He was smaller than the other ponies, and only just shorter than me.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"Haven't you ever…?" he was staring at me, and then he smiled, "Hey, just watch me!" he flipped his wine red bangs as he made his way to the barrel. Why was I noticing things like that? Or those cute spiked anklets he was wearing?

He winked at me as he leaned toward the barrel. Then he dived in quick, plucking up an apple by its stem, and pulling it out. He was the only pony here that'd done it that fast, and one of the very few that actually managed to pull one out anyway.

"That was awesome!" I gasped as he came back over to me.

"Why don't you try?" he indicated the barrel. There was an opening. It looked like it must be my turn.

"Oh, o-okay." I walked over there on clumsy feet, and kept glancing back at him. He was smiling encouragingly.

I leaned toward it, unsure of myself. But that stallion's smile made me more confident, so I opened my mouth, putting my snout into the water. I was reaching for an apple, but every time I went toward one, they floated away. _Come on, I just gotta reach for a stem._ I snapped at one, missing it the first time. I was starting to run out of breath. I gave it another try, snapping at one more, right before I had to come up for air. I didn't know if I had the apple, but I was sucking in breath.

"Look at you," the cream colored stallion clapped, "You did it."

"I-I did?" I said, opening my mouth to talk, and the apple I'd snagged fell from my teeth to the floor. "Oh my goodness, I did!" I was blushing.

"Come on," he said, "Now we both get some candy." he winked and moved off toward the prize table.

My heart skipped a beat and I'm sure my blush had increased as I watched his tail swish. There was a light pink streak through that dark red hair. I galloped after him, setting my apple next his to exchange for a sack of candy. He was just opening his.

"Aww, colt, I don't like this flavor!" he was frowning. Then he glanced up at me with a glint in his eye, "Watcha got in your bag?" I opened it to show him. "Ooh, I love green apple. Come on! Let's go trade." he shot off toward a table, an empty table for just the two of us I happened to notice. "You don't strike me for the sour type anyway." Good thing the lights were dim in here.

I sat across from him and he spilled his candy onto the table, gathering it in front of him. I did the same. "Do you like caramel apple?" he asked.

"What's your name?" I asked. "You never said."

"Oh em Luna," he gushed, "I'm sorry, I meant to. I'm Wonder," he smiled as he held out a hoof, "What's your name?"

"O-OJ," I stammered, reaching for his hoof.

"Well OJ," said Wonder, "I think you're cute." I opened and closed my mouth, not exactly sure how to respond. He smiled, "So, caramel apple?"

 _ **(Chapter 23 posted 12/1/17 at 9:30am**_

 _OH EM FAUST! Meet Wonder. I'm keeping him XD Just a taste of his charmingly seductive personality. I can't wait._

 _Anyway, HAPPY NIGHTMARE NIGHT! And Halloween. I know I'm a day late, sorry about that. I tried to get this chapter done for you guys in celebration of Halloween to post yesterday, but I ran out of time. I passed out candy to trick-or-treaters last night as well ^^ that was fun!_

 _I loved that I got the chance to focus on Pumpkin Spice this chapter. I got to introduce you to more of her personality, her fun energetic craze, and I was excited to write about her living quarters. Of course she gets a "palace" as we see in OJ's eyes. And an interesting taste of her backstory. Gotta wonder where she came from. I like the mystery aspect of that._

 _I also tried adding some more PipBuck aspects the past couple chapters. I used it a little bit in the beginning of this story, but kinda forgot about it. But it's how OJ views the world, he can't really get rid of the EFS. So I'm gonna see about working it into the story a bit more here and there. It is pretty fun!_

 _Intermission I may or may not mean I'll have another chapter like this. If I plan any surprises, I'm not gonna tell ya! That'd ruin the surprise XD Ok, love ya guys! Please comment what you think. Happy Halloween, hope you guys had a great and spoopy night :3)_

 **Brohoof! /)**


	28. Chapter 23 Geiger Counter

**Chapter 23** Geiger Counter

 _In front of me stood Stable 28. Somewhere in this tiny corner of mind of mine, I don't think I could've imagined coming back here. Sure, I'd thought back on my memories of the place, but the thought never crossed my mind that I'd have to come back. I didn't think I wanted to come back, but maybe I needed to. There were ponies I knew in there, some good. But shuddering I thought, some evil._

 _Aw, they couldn't be as bad as the raiders. I turned around and that's when I realized I was being chased by raiders. I was galloping as fast as I could back for the Stable I once knew. I didn't hate nor dislike the place, but I couldn't say I loved or liked it either. Yet, here I was, my breath caught in my throat. They were behind me, and now bullets were flying too. The Stable was too far away._

 _Next, it was right in front of me. I slammed into that big metal gear at full force, and I stared up at the big 28. I glanced around frantically, then began pounding my hooves on the door. "Let me in, let me in!" I screamed, begging for help. "They'll kill me!" I choked out._

 _Nopony was answering and the raiders were closing in. I looked about in a desperate gamble at my surroundings. I had to get in! I saw a panel that looked like door controls and I shot for it. I wasn't really thinking as I slammed my hoof down on it, but the door hissed and began to roll open._

 _I spun to face the oncoming raiders. I had no weapons to defend myself, but I was gonna have to do something if I was gonna live. My heart was racing and I felt like my insides were on fire. I was scared half to death. I backed toward the Stable, only to find the door was already open. I fell in backward, watching the gear slowly close on the yelling ponies. Bullets barely missed me, then they were gone._

 _The control room was aglow with the spinning red light normal after opening the gear door. However, I wasn't sure why it hadn't shut off. Maybe it took a few minutes? I'd never been on this side after the door closed. I walked through the dust, moving to the metal staircase._

 _The odd thing about this stable, was that part of it was not fully underground. Sure, it was surrounded by rock on three sides, and skyscrapers at the very front, but the level I stood on as I climbed the stairs to the familiar entrance room, well, it was still above ground. From what I'd heard in the Fort, this was abnormal, as the stables were meant to protect against the radiation on the surface._

 _That light still flashed, and my head spun. The continuous white light that spun circles around the room was disorienting to say the least. I went to a door, calling out, "Hello? Anypony there?" somepony had to of closed that door before I'd even got up those stairs to do it myself. So where were they?_

 _The door slid apart, the hydraulics hissing. My heart thumped in my chest. Something didn't feel quite right as I turned the corner into the hall. I knew I had to reach the elevator and get into the main part of the Stable. As I traversed the hall, a mechanical voice could be heard playing over the Stable comm system._

 _"Warning, seal breach in the airlock chamber. Possible contamination. Radiation detected on ground level: 20% and level 1: 10%. Manual override of air filtration system required. Citizens are reminded not to be alarmed. Stable-Tech security personnel will assist you. Repeat automated message: Warning…"_

 _Everytime the message replayed, the radiation levels were slightly higher. I was beginning to sweat. I reached the elevator, and I pressed the button with a quick nervous jab. "Ground level: 36%, level 1: 21% and level 2: 13%…"_

 _Had opening the door done this? Why wasn't the Stable cleaning out the radiation automatically? "Manual override of air filtration system required…" Was somepony supposed to be doing something? The elevator dinged and all I could think was how I was responsible for doing this to the Stable. To my…my home. I only had to hope everypony was ok._

 _Open slid the elevator doors, on level 1. Right in front of me I saw dead bodies. My heart began thumping. Most of these bodies were skeletons though. That meant they'd been dead for awhile right? I didn't know, but I had to find somepony. "Hello!" I was calling into the halls as I walked. I wasn't sure what was going on, but other than the voice on the intercom, it was eerily quiet._

 _I was at the stairs, and I still hadn't seen any living pony. Only those skeletons near the elevator. Something felt terribly wrong. A bead of sweat dripped off my forehead as I descended the stairs. I saw a sign and somehow knew where the air filtration center was. Why I thought I needed to go there was beyond me, but I couldn't stop myself from following the directions there._

 _Crackling reached my ears as I walked, and I lifted the leg with my Pip-Buck. It read +6 Rad/sec. This was bad. I was freaked as I approached the air filtration center. The big doors to the wing were open, the light above them red. I gulped. Still, nopony was around. I continued deeper and deeper into the center until my Pip-Buck notified me as I reached the generator house. It told me to find the control board. All the while it still told me on my EFS the radiation was climbing. I was already scared to death of it._

 _The door to the generator house was malfunctioning, opening and closing without anypony touching the wall panel. I approached but I was getting shaky. I was barely creeping forward and my heart was rushing. The lights went dim with a low hum and the door slowed to a halt, the two panels stuck halfway closed._

 _I poked my nose in, calling into the darkness, "Herro?" my throat was croaky._

 _There was no answer and I leaned further in. A sudden metallic clang somewhere behind me echoed off the walls and startled me. With a cry, I fell face first into the room. My momentum pushed the doors open more. The hum of the generator in the next room was low. The lights on the nearby control board were blinking and dimming. That's when somepony did show up in the doorway. I yelled as he and two other ponies stumbled inside._

 _The Guardian, Pumpkin Spice and Cherry stumbled inside and as I crawled backward from them frantically, I bumped into another fallen pony. I saw Pumpkin's stance wavering and Cherry was kneeling, coughing loudly. The Guardian stopped in front of me, blinking as though he didn't recognize me for a second._

 _"OJ, the radiation," he gasped, "You were supposed to turn the air filters back on…" he was shaking his head, not even looking at me. He stumbled a couple steps forward. "You've killed ponies…" he slammed forward, front hooves beneath him, his eyes going dead. The room was silent._

 _I started screaming. Screaming…_

* * *

"Aughhhhhh!" I shot up to a pounding on the door of my room.

I was huffing for breath, unable to speak or call out. All I could do was stare desperately at the door. When it finally slid open, I was relieved to see the Guardian trot in.

"OJ, are you ok?" he was by my side in a heartbeat.

"I had a bad dream…" I whined, "y-you died," I eyed him with big wet eyes. He frowned.

"I'm not gonna die, my time's not up yet." He looked to the side, "OJ, are you up for it today?"

I hopped up lightning fast, nearly crashing into the Guardian. I got up from the floor, shaking myself off then I yelled, "Of course I'm up for it!" my voice was squeaky.

The Guardian took his hooves from his ears, "Well. That's enough to compensate for a flash bang. I'll let you get ready then." he exited the room.

"Flash bang?" I whispered to myself. "What's a flash bang?" I asked my dresser.

I made sure to grab my lunch box of Med-X and stuff it into my combat armor before rushing off. My combat shotgun was strapped comfortably to my back, but today it felt like a heavy weight. A strange burden. I ignored the feeling, thinking _Today's just another ordinary day in the wasteland._ I'm sure many years from now somepony would have to laugh at such a naive thought. I didn't know it though.

"Somepony's giddy on his hooves," Pumpkin Spice called out as the Guardian and I entered the Gatehouse. I blushed.

"Somepony get her to shut the buck up," Cherry emerged from the security room. "She's been talking my ear off about this thing all morning."

My heart skipped a beat for a second when I realized the three ponies who were here in the room right now. _They were all three in the dream…_ I swallowed a lump in my throat.

"Cool it Cher," the Guardian chuckled at the other stallion, "a little dash of Pumpkin Spice never hurt nopony." Cherry rolled his eyes.

"Don't mess with me," he growled.

"Uh," I started, glancing around, "Where's Lily Bloom?"

"L _ily_ _Blo_ om?" Pumpkin looked in all directions, left toward the Fort door, right toward the Gate, down at her hooves and up at the roof, her neck twisting in a spiral. I would never be sure how she did these wacky things. "Why would _she_ be here?" asked Pumpkin, her head returning to a normal position and auburn orange eyes focused on my mismatched ones.

"It's just you and the Guardian, OJ," said Cherry as he turned and walked back into the security room. "I'm just here to keep an eye on things from this end."

"Yeeaaah," Pumpkin smiled brightly, standing tall, "We're on a special mission of our own!"

Cherry snapped to, butting his head down to shove Pumpkin Spice further from the security room, "No sirree. Ain't no we about it." there was that drawl his voice made every so often. I pictured him in a cowpony hat and giggled. "Buck, get her out of here," Cherry growled low under his breath.

"Hey," he held a hoof up with a smile, "I'm not getting between Pumpkin and her special missions. You know her."

He rolled his eyes with a huff, "Yeah, I do know her."

"I'll monitor the radios!" Pumpkin bounced her way into the room. At that, the was a loud buzz and then a hiss of air as the Gate began to open in the corridor.

"Come on OJ, I gotta show you something," the Guardian winked at me, holding the door to the Gate corridor open for me.

* * *

We had made our way east, away from the Fort, away from the bridge and away from Bittsberg. We were walking along a broken roadway, one I assumed had once been the highway. We'd even left behind most the cars too, making me wonder why they were all confined to the city.

"Guardian? Are we there yet? Where are we going?" I whined.

He chuckled lightly, "We'll be there soon. You'll see."

"Why'd we leave Bittsberg? I've never been out of Bittsberg before." I looked back over my shoulder, feeling lost. I kinda wanted to go back, but I didn't want to leave the Guardian. I was scared.

"Oh, we haven't technically left yet," said the Guardian. Reaching a T-intersection, he crossed the street, trotting off the road. "We're still within the radius. Now come on OJ!"

 _Cha-ching!_

You have discovered

BITTERSWEET ACRES

My Pip-Buck informed me as I walked over the dry ground, my hooves crunching over the dirt. We had passed by a couple short trees, the branches barren. I looked up at the sky, it was gray and dark. The sun had eerily disappeared behind all those clouds. "This place is creepy," I whimpered.

The Guardian was a ways off, heading toward a squat wooden building. There was a house nearby too, and two tall cylinder shaped huts with dome roofs. Further off was a faded red house, the roof sloping deeply on both sides.

"It's a firing range!" the Guardian called me over to the wooden shelter. I trotted over, watching as he stooped down, face near the dirt.

"Wh-what're you doing?" I gasped.

He straightened out with a shrug, "eh, I guess the raiders haven't been by in awhile. Probably to scared to move past the Fort after that battle at the bridge."

I caught up with him, "Were you looking for a tripwire?" I gave a shy grin.

He narrowed his eyes at me, "How do you—ah, Blitz probably. I really should get you out more." He turned away and laughed to himself.

Ducking into a stall and almost making me crash into him, he pulled out a funny looking gun, a string on it and a lever along a track above the trigger. The front was curved and rather wide. I'd never seen anything like it, it was a marvel.

Catching me staring at it, the Guardian snorted, "This is a crossbow. I found it in the old house when I was a colt…" The words stopped him short and his voice trailed off. He bit his cheek then shrugged whatever it was off. "Alrighty. I heard Cherry yell at you last week. So here's what we'll do."

"What, what, what?" I jumped up and down.

The Guardian had a far off look in those blue eyes of his and as he turned to walk deeper into the range, he was saying, "I really enjoy training you Puppydog, I really am proud of you.." his voice was so quiet, making me wonder what he was thinking about.

I was more curious than inquisitive though and I asked instead, "Why do you call me Puppydog?"

He looked over his shoulder, "It's the name of every Guardian's apprentice." he grinned, looking suddenly amused, "But it's very fitting. You're kinda like a lost puppy, looking for his bone. You're very cute."

"My bone?" I tilted my head, staring at him.

He nodded knowingly, "I'm sure you'll find it OJ, you're more capable than I give you credit for."

My cheeks reddened at the praise. It wasn't often he gave it. I looked up to him, and I was glad I made him happy. He made me happy too.

"You're radiating, careful OJ," the Guardian shook his head with a slight chuckle, but I took it too seriously.

Taking a tense defensive stance I looked around frantically like a scared dog, "Radiation?!"

"No, no! I just meant you looked happy." I eyed him with round eyes. "Come on Puppydog, let me show you what a real range looks like."

* * *

The range was outside, surrounded by wooden railings making a corral around it. Most of it was bombed out, either burnt up and lost to ashes a long time ago, or falling apart. But it looked like an old unattended pasture. Which was fine by us, it felt like I had a whole new place to play. And the Guardian? He looked content here.

"This is called a long distance firing range," said the Guardian. "It's pretty much useless now, knowing how dangerous the wasteland is. That's why all our gun training is done at the Fort."

"The Fort? You mean the little range Cherry is usually at?" I asked him.

He glanced at me, then realization dawned on him about something. "Oh, right! Well, as of yet, you don't have clearance for Sector 2 and beyond, so you haven't seen the training yards. Or the crappy excuse we have for them. If it wasn't so dangerous with all the raiders, I'm sure we'd do our training with bigger weapons somewhere more suitable like it should be."

"Suitable? Like out here?"

"Right. Outdoors is where it's best to use larger weapons, like your combat shotgun." He lofted his bow, "Or my crossbow."

"Ooh," I stared at the crossbow as he nocked an arrow to it.

"You see those dummies down there?"

"Dummies?" I glanced about startled, "You shouldn't call anypony names!"

"Oh my Fau—Orange, I mean the scarecrows set up as targets down there." he pointed to what looked like ponies standing in a row in front of the red wooden building, but I could tell they weren't real. I hadn't even noticed them till now.

"Oh! They're kinda cute. We're supposed to shoot them?"

"They're targets," the Guardian informed me. Then without another word, he lifted the bow, and pulled the trigger. It made a low whistle as it shot away, the pointed edge plummeting into one of the far off scarecrow's hat, sending it to the wall and pinning it in place.

"That was awesome!" I jumped into the air.

Passing me the bow, he said, "You try."

I scrambled not to drop it as he let go, "M-me? It's yours!" my voice cracked.

"Go ahead, give a shot. Lemme show you how to nock an arrow." He stood close to me, slowly explaining how to put the reset the string and arrow in the shoot against the tail. Then he nodded. "Aim down the sights, or use S.A.T.S."

I nodded at his instructions shakily. I was too nervous to activate S.A.T.S. so I lifted it slowly. "You got this." he said. "Mhm." I pulled the trigger, hoping it'd land. It whined through the air, making an arc as it sailed toward the ground. However, I think it hit the midsection of one's back leg.

"Good job OJ!"

We continued for a bit, the Guardian directing me along, and me slowly getting more confident each time. I still didn't hit the most key areas, but at least I hit them. The Guardian was smiling the whole time, and I felt proud of myself. He was teaching me to use a new weapon, which was so cool!

"Alright, looks like our arrow supply is dwindling. How about you retrieve em real quick and then we can have a snack." he was pulling a Sparkle-Cola from his saddle bag.

"Alright!" I yelled, running for the dummies. I'd get every single arrow. I'm not sure how many there were though. 10, 13, 11?

 _SHIF!_ I stood stiff as a rod at a muffled sound from inside the red building. It sounded like something had fallen over. I moved closer to the wall, putting my ear against it. Something was moving around in there but I couldn't tell what. BAM! Something hit the wall right next to my ear, like they knew I was here. I shot I don't know how far into the air, then I ran fast for the Guardian, dropping all the arrows.

"Hey OJ, you got the arrows?" he was smiling before he saw my terrified expression. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Th-there's something in the, the um, the big red building!" I gasped.

"The barn? Do you wanna go check it out?" he asked. I glanced over my shoulder at the big red building—the barn—not sure how I felt about that.

"S-sure."

We went to the entrance, leaving the firing range. The Guardian slowly pushed the creaky wooden door open. He turned on his Pip-Buck light, shining it into the shadows. "We're hidden at the moment," he said to himself.

The beam of cold light shined over lumps of hay, tied tightly with thin straw chords. The shadows cast over them were like creepy monsters. They enticed me with their dark smiles and reaching claws. We went in slowly, hooves crunching on dry dirt and old straw.

We passed one row of straw and my worst fear came true. Well, one of them anyway. Both our Pip-Bucks began crackling, the Geiger Counters on them warning us of radiation. The EFS warned [CAUTION] our enemy was looking for us now. I freaked, "G-Guardian! Radiation!" remembering my dream.

[DANGER]

Gunshots rang out over the haystacks, and somepony was yelling slurs at us. I was trembling, frozen to the spot. "OJ, move! What're you doing?" the Guardian shot forward, laser rifle in front of him. I couldn't move. The shadows had ahold of me.

A raider dropped down on a haystack in front of me, and he was smiling. "What's the matter filly? Scared?" he rose his pistol, pulling the trigger. The Guardian got to me just in time, pulling me to safety behind a few bundles of hay.

"OJ, up there!" he shoved me forward. A pang went through my leg at the force, but at this point there wasn't any time to stop. I jumped up onto one brick of hay, reaching for the next. I was halfway up to the spot the Guardian intended, when bullets zipped past, startling me. The stacks of hay began to sway and I lost my balance.

"Whoa, whoa—aughhhhh!" I screamed, landing on my bad leg. There was a horrible crunch, and my EFS told me my back leg was crippled. I was screaming and the Guardian grabbed me with both hooves, leaving his laser rifle behind.

"We're getting out of here, there's too many of them!"

Letting the darkness finally take me, I blacked out.

 ** _(Chapter 24 set for 12/18/17 at 3:00pm_**

 _Whoo! finally got this chapter done. I nice little moment between OJ and the Guardian ^^ sucks the raiders had to ruin it. The nigthmare at the beginning was an allusion to some of OJ's hidden regrets. He doesn't know them yet, and I'll leave it up to you to interpret until I talk about it more later in the story lol.I hope this was an interesting chapter for ya! It sure did escalate quickly though, there at the end. Okey, love ya!)_

 **Brohoof /)**


	29. Chapter 24 Hospital Food

**Chapter 24** Hospital Food

"What the hell happened?!" I heard yelling as I came to. It was Cherry. I blinked at him groggily. "Shit! He's wakin' up!"

"Raiders, they set up an ambush." the Guardian was saying.

"How'd he break his leg like this?" somepony else was saying, but I wasn't sure I was familiar with their voice.

This made the Guardian pause, "He….he froze up. I don't know what got into him, but he wouldn't move."

"Damn," Cherry grumbled.

A door slammed open. I still couldn't tell where I was. "I came as fast as I could!" Lily Bloom's voice was frantic. "Is he okay?"

"Lily," the Guardian snapped. "He fell from the height of 3 hay bundles. I might not be a doctor, but even I know that shouldn't break a leg."

"I'll have ta explain later. First, we need to get him to the infirmary." she was above me now, a worried look on her face. "Buck!" she cursed aloud. "Is he conscious?"

"Not for long ma'am," said the other pony. Then a needle injected my neck, and I was out cold again.

* * *

The lights hurt my eyes when I woke up. I tried to sit up and get out of bed, but I felt dizzy when I lifted my head. I also couldn't feel my leg. I glanced around. I was lying in a bed with a fuzzy blue blanket. I wasn't sure I liked the way it felt. It was scratchy.

"I'm sorry, but you're hurting me Mr. Blanket." I said to it and tossed it on the floor.

The doorknob on the door to the room began to turn. Lily Bloom came in, a clip board floating in the aura of her magic in front of her. She glanced up for a second and her eyes widened. "Oh, OJ, why's your blanket on the floor?"

I stuck my tongue out at it, "I don't like him."

"Him?"

"Lily, what happened to my leg?" I looked down at my flank, with its big white bandages on it. It was wrapped tightly. "I thought the pain pills worked…"

Lily stooped down to pick the blanket up from the floor. As she floated the clip board over to the side table, the blanket began folding itself in the air. "Well dumplin', it ain't quite that simple. That only works if you don't fall from 9 hoof lengths up."

"I got shot at!" I grinned.

"That's not funny," Lily frowned. "Orange, I have to let you know something. You might not like it sugar bomb."

"Sugar bombs sound yummy."

"Buck—The Guardian is putting you on suspension until you're healed. Not surprisingly. We both agreed and I've put you on a week and a half medical suspension."

"Oh," I deflated.

"Don't worry, I have a nurse to attend you in that time." she turned to go, her clip board following her happily.

"Can I at least have the blanket from my room?" I asked.

"I can have that arranged, sure dumplin'."

* * *

Later, a nurse came in. For some reason I thought it'd be a mare, they always had the most important jobs. But it was a stallion. I guess the Fort didn't discriminate.

He was a cream colored pony with wine red bangs, and on his head he wore a folded looking cloth cap. He flipped his bangs slightly, looking at me with soft eyes. Eyes that were speckled! They were diamond blue with spots of gold.

"Whatcha looking at there?" he said in a smooth voice.

I put a hoof to my nose, trying to hide my reddening face. "You're eyes are more than one color."

"And yours are mismatched," he winked with a smile. "Here's your blanket, it's softer." Unfolding it, he passed it to me. I caught it in my magic, putting it near my hooves.

"I'm hungry," I stated at the rumble of my tummy.

"Heh," he laughed, smiling at me, "I'll roll out the hospital food."

He walked out of the room. I was set to preoccupy myself, but I didn't know what to do. There wasn't much to do other than stare up at the swinging light hanging from the ceiling in its bowl shaped holder. The ceiling did have lots of dots on it and I was just starting to stare at them when the nurse came back.

He hadn't been kidding about rolling out the hospital food. He was pushing in a cart with a tray of food on the top. The tray was divided into 6 sections, wait 3, no 5 I think. The biggest hole had what looked like oats but it was like soup. There were a couple apple slices and a small carton of milk.

"What is that? Are they oats?" I pointed at the oats. It looked kinda like gruel but it was easier to tell what it was.

"It's called porridge. I wish we had oatmeal." he passed me a glass container with brown stuff in it.

"What's this stuff?" I sniffed at it and it tickled my nose. I had to hold back a sneeze.

"I sneaked in some cinnamon from the kitchen. Don't tell anypony." he winked. That made me giggle. He showed me how to sprinkle the cinnamon onto the porridge and mix it in, then he had to go.

"Can I have a book maybe?" I asked him.

He grinned, "No promises."

* * *

The next day he brought in a book. "Here we are, one book. You know, it's not easy to find these."

"Thank you!" his hoof brushed mine as he gave it to me. I blushed and looked away.

"Anytime cutestuff. Hey, is there anything else I can get ya?" he was looking in my eyes as he set my tray in front of me.

I picked up my milk cartoon, unsure what to ask. "N-no." Then I looked at the book, "Umm, I can't read."

He glanced over to the side, tapping a hoof to his muzzle, that grin on his face. "Hmm." at that he pulled up a chair.

He read the words aloud to me, his voice as smooth as chocolate. I wish I knew what chocolate tasted like. This reminded me of Bookworm, and I seemed to recall her eating chocolate while reading once. Though she hadn't been reading to me, and certainly never like this. Nurse had a deep sort of connection between me, him and the words.

He kept looking at me with those eyes and I was mesmerized. I almost didn't hear the words coming from his mouth, and I don't think I'd remember them later.

Soon he was closing the book, and I blinked. "Did we already finish?!"

"Wha, this monster book?" Nurse chuckled. "I read ya a couple chapters, Cutie. It's been a few hours."

"Hours?" I meant that not as an insult, but as in, I didn't know how to tell time very well.

He rubbed the back of his mane, glancing at the clock, "Eh, I'm not the best reader, no one in the wasteland truly is."

My eyes widened at him, "Sure you are!"

"Why thank you." then he quickly left.

* * *

Each day for the next couple days Nurse would come in to read that book to me, and everyday I'd look forward to it. I knew we were close to finishing it, and I wasn't excited about when that would happen. Maybe he'd find a new book. Today Nurse came in before lunch and was busily organizing some stuff in the cabinets opposite my bed.

"Watcha doing?" I cocked my head and flicked an ear.

He turned around, "Oh, nothing much. I just keep thinking to myself, everyday I bring you lunch and yet I've neglected to ask if you'd like anything other than the plain ol' plain ol'."

"Plain ol' plain ol'?" I didn't understand what that meant.

He chuckled at me and shook his head, "What do you want, I'll get ya anything the caf has."

"Caf?" I questioned yet again. He certainly had a way of talking, and it made my heart skip a beat. "O-oh! Uh, how about chocolate milk? You always bring white milk. A-and I've kinda always wondered what chocolate tastes like."

"Alright, you won't be disappointed," he winked. He was bustling out the door when another thought hit me.

"Oh, what about orange juice!?" but he was already gone.

The door opened a few seconds later with a disheveled Lily Bloom heading in, "Colt, he shur is in uh hurry." she shook her head and ran a hoof through her mane, straightening up again.

"Hiya Lily Bloom!" I beamed.

She smiled, "Why hey there pardner, I'm just gonna do a quick check up. I think yer fast track on healing."

"That's good! I sure am bored. I like it when Nurse comes to visit."

"I think he does too."

The check up didn't take long, and Lily Bloom told me I was looking better by the second. As though on cue, as soon as she was out the door, that's when Nurse was back with lunch and his book to read. He brought chocolate milk too!

"Thank you so much!"

"It was nothing," he grinned, flipping his bangs.

The chocolate milk was not a let down, creamy and rich and very sweet. "Hey," I said while he was reading, taking my last sip. "I love chocolate milk!" I giggled.

He licked the tip of his hoof and wiped my upper lip, "Well, you certainly know how to down it." I blushed as his hoof touched me and he quickly withdrew. He smoothly transitioned back to the book.

* * *

The next day, I was expecting to see him again, for lunch and for more reading. We weren't done with the book. But it was Pumpkin Spice who came bouncing in, humming an off pitch tune. I think I'd have recognized her halfway across the Fort.

"Hi there ORANGE JUICE!" she yelled as she burst into the room. She held a box on her head and a book in one hoof. In the other hoof she was holding hammy, my little radio I liked to keep in my room. Yes, that meant she was walking on her hind legs.

"Hehe," I burst out laughing. "Why are you doing that?"

She set down the radio on the bedside table and the book in front of me, returning to all four hooves. "Doing what?" she seemed genuinely confused, like she hadn't just been walking on two feet. That only made me laugh more.

"What's this?" I gestured at the book.

"I wanted to visit you today! I thought I'd show you an old photo album I made!"

"Photo?" I asked.

"Yeah, I used to have a camera. It was a passion, just like mane-dressing!" She was giggling, her mane bobbing.

"Sure," I opened the book. There were some black and white pictures of some ponies that looked familiar, but I wasn't sure who they were.

Pumpkin reached forward suddenly to point, knocking the lid off the translucent box. It went sailing across the room and a faint light pulsed inside. I glanced at it, but Pumpkin was adamantly talking about the pictures now. I looked back down.

"These are Cherry, Buck and Lily! It was _quite_ a few years ago though, so they're younger."

"That's why they look different." I breathed. "Where are you guys?"

She turned the page, "This is all of us together. It's when we first discovered Bittersweet Acres. Cherry was _soo_ o skeptical. That's why he's frowning in this one." she pointed at a few pictures on the page. Beside the pictures were a bunch of letters lined up vertically and I think they spelled "Bittersweet".

"It became Buck's special place you know," she turned the page again, showing pictures of the Guardian alone. He was much younger, his mane shorter and he wasn't wearing his big bulky power armor he always wore. He had a rifle lined up at the firing range there, aiming down the sites at the targets I knew were out of the frame.

"That's so cool," I sighed, and ran my hoof over the page. Each picture was different and so unique. Buck looked relaxed, happy. There was a picture of him holding up the crossbow, on the next page a picture of him leaning back on a railing with a Sparkle-Cola in hoof.

The next page was in the Fort. Pumpkin threw a hoof forward to indicate a picture, hitting the box on the table next to me, "OOH OH, My first Nightmare Night Party! That reminds me…"

The box was lying beside me, tipped on its side. The light seemed so interesting, "Sparkly…" I reached for it. It was in the shape of a little ball.

"OJ, no! That's a memory—!"

* * *

 _"This is exactly like those twins." hissed an unpleasant voice. "However did he find out? I tried so hard to keep the secret."_

 _I stood in a dimly lit room, staring at a prissy pink pony. She seemed angry, and that anger was familiar. I'd seen her before. The Overmare. I had found myself yet again watching a scene from the eyes of somepony else. I was terrified. I think, so was the pony watching the Overmare._

 _"Ma'am, if I may—" I looked over to the pony who'd spoken. It was Bookworm! She was standing stiff as a rod, her glasses slightly crooked on her muzzle._

 _"Enough!" bellowed the Overmare. "I'm through playing games here. A fatal mistake has been made, and I seek to correct it."_

 _"A-and that is ma'am?" said the pony I was in._

 _"All of you in here have associated with UP-25 in some way. Some more than others." she stared sharply at Bookworm. She'd said my designation! They were talking about me…This was scary._

 _"If UP-26 seeks to start some sort of rebellion, it will be squashed."_

 _Bookworm adjusted her glasses, finally, "That entails…what exactly?"_

 _"Taking away anypony who may try to become his friend." said the Overmare. Then looking directly at the mare I was in, "Or who may be sympathetic to the stallions." she glanced over to another mare, "Or who may be a double agent."_

 _The other mare in the room snickered, "Right. And for who exactly? Gadget?"_

 _"That is a good point." the Overmare put a hoof to her chin, considering it. Then she narrowed her eyes, "Don't bring her into this! I will not have her be apart of meetings detailing extensive plans and I will not have you trick me into it either."_

 _"I'm only saying, ma'am. But if you must have proof, I'll give up somepony who seeks to betray you now." I gasped, no, this mare gasped. She looked down at her hooves. She was pink, and I think I recognized her as the mare that had the Stable palace._

 _The Overmare shot a glare at the pink pony. "And who may that be?"_

 _"Priscilla. She brought a memory orb into this meeting. She has quite the collection hidden from you."_

 _"Prissy…?" the Overmare gasped. "Is this true?"_

 _"Wha—? N-no!" she turned to the last mare, Lens Caps, "How dare you!"_

 _Unexpectedly, Zebra Mare slapped Prissy upside the face. It stung really bad! Out from Priscilla's mane rolled a yellow memory orb._

 _"I-I can explain!" Priscilla gasped, turning to the Overmare._

 _"My own sister…" the Overmare looked deeply hurt, the most pony emotion I'd ever seen her portray. Then her face turned evil, more evil than I'd ever seen it either. "EVERYPONY OUT! LEAVE THE TWO OF US A MOMENT ALONE."_

 _"I'm sorry," Lens Cap whispered as she walked past Priscilla. "Sometimes, you gotta look out for number 1."_

 _"I thought you'd help us. My sister doesn't deserve this seat," she hissed back. But a tear fell down her cheek at the betrayal. I felt it too. "What's the point of number 1 if there's no other numbers?"_

 _"I never said there weren't." Lens Cap smirked. She was turning away now, heading for the door Bookworm had already disappeared through. I'd heard her whisper something about me, I think she wondered what had happened. Lens stopped a moment, "You should learn a cause takes sacrifices Prissy." then she was gone, and the Overmare pressed the panel to shut and lock the door._

 _That's when the memory orb started to glitch. The Overmare kicked it and I felt the worst sense of hate ever. I wanted to tear my sister apart! Then it was terror, and darkness. All from poor Prissy. Next thing I knew my eyes were opening and I was on the floor, staring up at the Overmare. Prissy looked over to the orb, which was now shining a brilliant light._

 _"You have only ever wanted one thing Priscilla, and that has been to take what belongs to me."_

 _"You have never deserved it! You stole everything from me. Even my own daughter."_

 _"Hah, and teach that filly love of stallions?"_

 _Priscilla sat up slowly, but the room was spinning. "Rose already loves a stallion. She loves Red, I can see it even if you can't. You're blind to love."_

 _"DO NOT NAME THEM! And if you mean UP-26, don't make me sick. That stallion has disgraced the very walls of this Stable. He let his brother loose into the wasteland, that little orange popsicle, and for what?" the Overmare grinned._

 _Me? Brother? Popsicle? Hey! I'm not a popsicle!_

 _"You disgrace the very foundation of what this Stable stands for. You disgrace Stable-Tech itself." Prissy spat._

 _A kick came, Prissy's vision blacking out. When it came back it was splotched. There was the orb again, shining like it was when I took it from Pumpkin's box. It was so dim earlier._

 _"What will you do with me?" Prissy gasped. She was too exhausted and hurt to move. "Will you kill me?" she slowly focused on the hooves that came to rest in front of her. She looked up at her sister._

 _"Kill you? Ha! You don't exist! No, what I plan to do is remove you from the picture. I will not have you spoil my niece's head any longer."_

 _"She's never met her mother."_

 _"I'm going to tell you what's going to happen, Prissy dear." The Overmare was at her desk, and she had a slick red object in her hoof. "I'm calling an emergency vertibird. It will deposit you somewhere I'll never have to worry about you again. Oh, and I'll be keeping this," she held up the memory orb. I again felt a ping of dark emotion, pure sickly sweet satisfaction at the destruction of her sister._

 _"You can't! You won't open those doors. Everytime you do you let in radiation, you hurt this Stable even more!"_

 _"A healthy dose of radiation then. It says every ten years in my logs…"_

 _"It hasn't been 1o years! It's been 10 days! You're hurting everypony! We're not used to it!"_

 _"Then I'll adjust the air filtration, store it somewhere nopony goes, then fry the cells if those stallions ever try to stand up to me."_

 _Hooves latched onto Prissy. "N-No, what is this?" she looked to her captors, a couple guards from security. "Please, don't do this to me."_

 _"I already have…"_

 _The orb faded out again, and I thought it was over. But Prissy blinked and the next thing I knew she was being thrown outside the stable. A very large car thingy was waiting for her. It had big metal protrusions, and it was making a loud hum. The air was wavy underneath it._

 _Behind Priscilla the Stable door was sliding shut. She turned around to watch it roll into the locking position. "I'll be back Rose, and I hope your path takes you to your stallion. Red is right for you, a born leader." she held up something in her hoof. The memory orb! "And for you, I'll take you where you belong."_

 _She was walking to the thing, I assumed a vertibird, and she shook her head. "I'll find you Orange, you have to know the truth, all of it." she looked one last time to the orb, then stuffed it in her mane. Then it was over._

* * *

I blinked as I woke up from the memory, and as soon as I realized it was over I pulled my hoof from the box. "That orb!" I gasped, jerking so hard in shock that the box and photo album flew up and fell off the bed. Pumpkin caught the memory orb before it could shatter on the floor tiles.

"Ooh, ooh! What did you see?"

"R-Red," I shuddered, staring at the mare.

"Red? You saw red?"

"No, not the color! It was my brother!"

"You saw your brother? You have a BROTHER!?" Pumpkin Spice shot up into the air, smashing into the ceiling.

"N-No! I mean, yes! I mean, I have no idea Pumpkin Spice, I didn't know it was possible to have a brother in the Stable!" I was shaking.

"Sure it is! Buck had a brother, remember? You watched his memory orb." speaking of, she set Prissy's memory orb down in front of me. I stared at it.

"I didn't know he was my brother…I always saw him as one, I always wanted one. But I didn't know."

Pumpkin Spice was right above me all of a sudden, "How do you kn _ooooo_ w he's your brother?"

"The Overmare said it."

"YOU SAW THE OVERMARE?" she slammed into the ceiling again. When she was calmly beside me a second later, she said, "Sorry, had to do that."

"The Overmare has a sister. Or had, I don't remember."

"THE OVERMARE—Sorry, the Overmare has a sister?" Pumpkin asked me without flying to the ceiling this time. "Who is the Overmare?" she stroked her chin.

"Pumpkin!"

"Huh?"

"Where's Priscilla?! She said she had to find me!"

"Oh, right, her. Well uh, you see, I have no idea. Nopony does. I did find her memory orb though." she pointed at it.

I stared down at the little dangerous ball in front of me. It gently pulsed it's bright golden light. It was so different from all other memory orbs I'd ever seen. The others were like quicksilver, so dark and smooth with colors that swirled into each other and glittered like stars in the night sky. But this one was a star.

"Pumpkin, why's this one different?"

"It's different because it's a _collection_ of memories. Kinda like my photo album! Where'd that go by the way?" she was suddenly on the other side of the bed, holding up the album. "Found it!" I tried to hide a smile.

"OJ!" she was right in my face, and I pressed myself to my pillow. She leaned away. "This orb has been _everywhere._ It's old! I can tell because it's glowing." she nodded matter-of-factly.

"Everywhere?"

"Everywhere."

"Glowing?"

"Glowing!" she screeched. "You know why?"

"No." I shook my head.

"Because it's collected a lot of memories. It's unique because it's been in and out of one Stable alone. Stable 28."

"How?" I asked.

"That door has opened so many times, you'd think some security guard was falling asleep on the job." I giggled at that. "Hey, OJ! I think you should keep it. Whoever Priscilla is, I think she'd of wanted you to have it." she held it up to me. "Go on, take it, it won't bite."

"Oh." I slowly took it from her. With that, Pumpkin Spice sprang up.

"Well, you're outta here tomorrow, isn't that exciting?"

"I uh,"

"I gotta go! I have a guest list to write." she bounced to the door, throwing it open.

"A guest list? For what?"

"I'm putting your nurse on it, that's for sure." she called as the door closed.

I guess that was that.

 _ **(Chapter 25 set for 1/17/18 at 1:30pm CT**_

 _Whoo, OMG so that was a rollercoaster. We just met Nurse, but he's a familiar face, don't worry. Hehe. I feel like this was a pretty cute chapter up till the memory orb. I enjoyed writing Pumpkin Spice too! She's fun, and the photo album was a nice little scene. Then it got serious didn't it? I threw in a major Incident of Stable 28 plot twist there. I hope you like that Yolo! It's interesting isnt' it? Whatever happened to Priscilla, we just gotta wonder! But there's another plot twist related to OJ. Orange and UP-26 are brothers! Me and Yolo talked about that and decided on it awhile ago. I was just waiting for the right time to reveal it. Hmm, I wonder what else is in Prissy's memory sphere? Anyway, look forward to next chapter. Love ya guys!)_

 **Brohoof /)**


	30. Chapter 25 Hoofprints in the Snow

**Chapter 25** Hoofprints in the Snow

"So, you're Wonder, huh?" I was smiling brightly at the other colt as I was being checked out of the infirmary. I was glad he'd been my nurse all this time, though I admit he was cuter in his anklets than he was in his nurses cap.

I blushed at the thought. He grinned, I was blushing at him. "Yup, and you're adorable, Orange." he winked. "I've gotta go, but catch ya later?" he moved past me, flicking me playfully with his tail. My face looked more like an apple than it did an orange right now.

The receptionist was giggling as she set her pen down, "You know, he talks about you a lot."

I swallowed a lump in my throat and tried to speak, but all I could do was give her a wobbly smile. She giggled again as I turned and stumbled from the lobby. I was giddy on my hooves. That's why I tripped and face planted when the alarms went off and, well, alarmed me.

"Whazzit?" I jumped up, shaking myself off like a wet dog.

The hallways had dimmed and the ominous cast of spinning red light coated everything. The Fort was on alert. I stared up at one of the flashing alarm lights. I couldn't help think they looked familiar.

"Like Hearthswarming Eve lights!" shouted a certain somepony in my ear.

"Gah!" I jumped.

"It's only me, OJ. What'd you think I was a changeling or something? Ha!" Pumpkin Spice stomped an enthusiastic hoof on the floor and laughed.

"What's a changeling?"

"I _dunno_ ," she giggled. "Just heard it somewhere I gu _ess_."

"What's Hearthswarming Eve?" I cocked my head.

" _Eep!_ " her screech nearly burst my eardrums. "OJ!"

"Yes Pumpkin?" I stared at her with big eyes.

"You're needed in the Task Room!" she grabbed my hoof in hers, and immediately pulled me along with her in full gallop.

"Excuse me! Outta my way!" she was yelling as we went barreling down the hallway and past other ponies. At some point we left behind nurses with trays of food in their hooves or carrying clipboards in their magic auras, and we entered another wing of the Fort.

"Hey, watch it bub!" yelled a pony pushing a large platform dolly. But it was too late.

Pumpkin Spice crashed into it, toppling the ordnance and causing the wheeled platform to change direction with our momentum. "Whee!" screamed Pumpkin Spice.

"Get back here!"

Careening down the hall, I was laughing loudly. Ponies ducked out of our way as we shot past. I noticed most of them seemed really angry, but this was too fun to pay them any mind.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Pumpkin's eyes widened as we approached the end of the hall. I wasn't sure what she was concerned about. Then we crashed into a closed door at the head of a T-intersection. We flipped over, a few heavy boxes landing on me, plus the cart.

"OMF OJ, are you ok?!" Pumpkin yelled as she shoved boxes away from me. I sat up dazed for a second. Then,

"Let's do that again!"

"Oh Orange Juice!" she beamed, leaning in for a hug, but just then, the door behind my back slid open and I fell backward hard.

"Oof!"

* * *

It was easy to tell a lot of ponies had been talking at once before we had entered the Task Room. But Pumpkin and I's outrageous entrance had caused a hush to fall and heads to turn. I sat up and tried to smile at the Guardian, who had a brow raised. I did notice he was mostly geared up in that special Guardian armor, he was only missing the helmet.

"Well hey, everypony!" Pumpkin Spice shot up with a shout.

"Alrighty, as I was saying," started a small yellow pony, who was addressing the General. "We have no idea what's going on! One second nothing the next it's like we're covered in a blanket of snow!"

"You know that's not possible!"

"Are you crazy?!"

"Of course it's an attack!"

And there they were talking over each other again. There were a few ponies sitting patiently and quietly, including the Guardian and the General. All the while the Guardian kept his eye on me.

Pumpkin nudged me and I realized I was frowning. I got to my hooves, "Hey!" only a few ponies stopped speaking this time, "I've heard of snow before!" I was grinning again, but nervously. I took a pause, trying to recall where I'd heard of snow. "I think…What is snow again?" I cocked my head.

* * *

 _Bookworm had many talents within the Stable. Sometimes she was a teacher in the nursery, sometimes a babysitter for her friend's daughter. But her main job was bookkeeping, or so she liked to call it. She was a bookkeeper in the Overmare's large library._

 _This was a place she had always wanted to show me, but stallions were under no circumstance allowed in. If she did it, she could get in serious trouble. But I think there was something rebellious in her heart. She called it defiance the day she took me with her to the library. She seemed awfully frustrated that day._

 _The books made her content, I could tell the moment her hooves crossed the threshold, pressing into the fine carpet. Colt was it soft. Myself? I had never seen such a place. How could there be so many books?_

 _"Get lost," said Bookworm. It sounded almost mean._

 _"Huh?"_

 _She spun around so quick I nearly slammed into the door behind me when I backpedalled. "Like I said, you shouldn't be in here. So go find something to read before you're seen with me."_

 _I nodded firmly, "Right!" I moved past her, looking every which way and not sure where to start._

 _"Picture books are that way," she grumbled, pointing a hoof. Gleefully, I shot off._

 _Getting lost wasn't a difficult task. This place was like a maze. But a maze filled with books. I couldn't read, but I loved books! I remembered Bookworm said after the megaspells, the world had lost most of its books. That's why never in my wildest dreams did I think there were so many still left._

 _I picked one at random. The cover had the picture of a filly walking toward a house, a farmhouse I think, some trees around her. There was a cloth tied around her neck, lifting up. The ground was all white and the filly was glancing over her shoulder with a smile._

 _Plopping myself down, I brushed my hoof over the picture. She looked so happy. All the pictures in the book showed the same. I laughed as she galloped after an orange animal that was running away. She was smiling brightly and on the next page she was laughing as the animal disappeared into a hole in the white fluffy stuff on the ground._

 _"...Snow"_

 _I started when I heard a voice near me. Opening my eyes I saw it was just Bookworm._

 _"Whazzit?" I asked._

 _Bookworm tried to hide a smile, "Why do you say that?"_

 _"What's snow?" I asked her._

 _She pointed at the open book I was clutching. "In the book you were looking at before you feel asleep."_

 _I gulped, "C-Can you read it to me? I r-really like the filly, she's so happy."_

 _Bookworm glanced around, "Not right now."_

 _"Huh?"_

 _Snatching up the book she repeated, "Not right now." then she grabbed me by the ear, which hurt by the way, and she dragged me back to the library's entrance._

 _"Is it time to go?"_

 _"It's nearly curfew for you, and my queue is up." said Bookworm. "If I don't bring you back…"_

 _I was looking over my shoulder longingly for the book about that filly and snow. I was so curious what snow was. The word sounded so soft and so pretty._

 _Bookworm held something up. The book! "Come on, it's time to go." she said harshly, like there wasn't an impish grin on her muzzle._

 _Back in her room I stared at the book, waiting for her to open it. "You won't get in trouble?"_

 _"Who's gonna notice if a book goes missing for a few nights, huh?" she grabbed it and held it up to show me the pictures._

 _In the story the filly was outside during a winter afternoon when she noticed a fox's pawprints all over the yard. She went looking for the fox, and when she found him in the woods she played with him. They played chase, and hide-n-seek. At the end of the day the two were friends._

 _Bookworm was turning the last page when touching it, I stopped her. I was in wonderment, "What is snow?"_

 _"Well of course, none of us really know that much about it. But from reading, I would say it's cold, but soft, heavy but powdery. And," she smiled a small smile, "I'm sure it'd be fun to play in."_

 _I giggled, "You're silly Bookworm. She was playing with Mr. Fox, not the snow!"_

 _"You're right." she shrugged with a laugh. "Now, I should get you back."_

 _I nodded._

 _At my cell, I turned to her, "Bookworm?"_

 _"Hmm?"_

 _"Thank you."_

 _She frowned, looking unsure. "Speak nothing of it," she didn't look at me as she headed away._

* * *

"Ash?" a shout broke me from my reverie.

"Look, whatever they're doing it's making a cloud of ash, and it's covered the Fort. It certainly isn't a good thing."

I glanced back at the table of officers, focusing. The smaller guy had two hooves on the table, "Right!" he barked, "and I certainly won't stand for it!"

"I agree," the General spoke with a knowing smile and a slow nod. "However, I cannot in good conscience send ponies into the city without reassurance they'll come back alright."

"You want whatever they're burning to make its way back toward the Fort? We fought em off once!" tiny stallion shouted in exasperation.

"You think we can't do it again?" somepony else broke in.

"Not if they bring the battle back to us, no!"

"Feeeeild meeedics!" sang Pumpkin.

"Excuse me? Who are you again? Aren't you just our mane stylist?" exclaimed tiny yellow stallion.

"And," the General cleared his throat. He was smiling and there was a twinkle in his eye, "Residential party pony."

"That's right!" Pumpkin stood proud. "I have to tell you, I know _the_ perfect pony for the Guardian-Puppydog team."

"Field medics aren't a bad idea," said a tall mare. Her blue officer's uniform had a couple pins on it, making her look official. "However, how many medics are actually trained?"

"I have a recommendation!" Pumpkin screeched. "But I think everypony should GET READY!"

A few ponies covered their ears at that.

"Alright, assemble a battalion, Colonel Ashe." The General nodded to the mare.

"Yes sir!"

"The rest of you get ready." The General stood up.

"And what will you be doing, sir?" said tiny yellow.

"Pumpkin Spice,"

"Oh, you can just call me Pumpkin," she winked.

He nodded, "Pumpkin and I have some medics to recruit."

"Right…"

* * *

I followed the Guardian to the locker rooms. They were in another section, so it took awhile to get there by foot. It certainly wasn't as fun as rolling down a hallway with Pumpkin Spice, but I knew the Guardian had on his serious face. He was Mr. Serious, he was not concerned with fun.

I was adjusting my combat armor, which I felt I hadn't worn in forever. Some soldiers had set down some leg paddings and combat shoes too. I now had an army knife strapped to my right hoof, my 10mm pistol and my combat shotgun strapped to my back.

"We're meeting Pumpkin Spice and the General at the Bridge to receive our addition the team before heading into town," said the Guardian.

"Ok!" I jumped into the air, excited.

"Try to be calm OJ, this situation will get ugly."

"Right," I nodded affirmative. "Ugly." I didn't realize a situation could be considered ugly, but there's a first time for everything.

Outside, the ground was covered in a thin white dusting. It wasn't too thick to be bothersome, but it hadn't been there the last time I'd come outside. I was curious about it the whole way to the Bridge.

Pumpkin Spice was bouncing up and down when we arrived at the outpost. She was in front of the entrance looking like she hadn't a care in the world. We were all giddy, but nopony could have her energy. "Ooh, OJ, you're gonna be soo excited!"

Ducking inside, the Guardian went first for the General, "Sir, what's the status of Ashe's troops?"

My attention was lost on our new field medic, however. I instantly noticed Wonder waiting over on a couch staring into a cup he held in one hoof. My ears tuned out Pumpkin's squealing behind me as I gravitated toward the colt.

"Wonder," I breathed. He looked up at me.

"Finally, somepony ordered the good joe," he said with a devilish smile, setting the cup aside. I think there was some coffee sloshing around in the cup.

"Isn't that supposed to be hot?" I stared at the brown liquid for a second.

Wonder winked, "Like you?"

"Me?" I met his pretty, speckled eyes.

With a chuckle he said, "Of course it's supposed to be hot, but the outpost doesn't have a good power supply yet, and that thing," he pointed at the side table with the coffee machine, "can barely heat the water. Not to mention it's probably 200 years old." He said that last line behind his hoof with a smile.

That's when I noticed that Wonder was wearing dark camo army fatigues, a bulletproof vest and a dark colored army helmet sat beside him on the couch. An assault rifle leaned against the wall, and it'd be ironic to say it looked peaceful, but it did.

"Are you going with us?"

"Somepony thought it'd be a good idea if I came as your field medic." he pointedly stared at Pumpkin Spice who promptly squealed.

"OF COURSE I DID! YOU'VE GOT AN _AMAZING_ HISTORY WORKING WITH PATIENTS!" She had the biggest smile on her face, and her whole body jittered.

He flipped his bangs, "I only try my hardest."

"Is everypony ready?" the Guardian called over. He was next to the doorway leading to the Bridge, holding open a curtain placed over it.

"Yeah I am!" I spun around and went for him. He slipped out before I could pummel him and I ran into the General instead.

"I'll take point, you two stick together," said the Guardian from outside the small room.

I got up with second looks at the General. "I'll be fine, you two just follow Ol' Buck. He'll take care of ya."

We left. I'm not sure what taking point meant, but the Guardian was nowhere in sight. I could hear his hooves crunching over the ground though. Crunching…The Bridge outpost was pretty much how I remembered it from that original battle, except it had been cleaned up since then of the mess the raiders had left behind. Today though, something wasn't right.

Wonder walked in front of me, his wine red tail flicking casually, and his hips swaying gently. I noticed how his hooves left a trail in the white powder that covered the floor. Wait, was that what was different?! I looked up at the sky, but it was covered by a dark veil. White flakes fell down gently and powdered the floor. It left a covering on the top of my head, in my mane, on my back and in my tail. One flake landed on my snout.

"Snow!" I gasped.

"What was that?" Wonder glanced at me.

"It's snowing!" I was overjoyed. I'd never seen snow, thought I never would.

Wonder laughed, "Oh OJ…" then he cocked his head, sent a look up at the sky, then shook his head. "You're too cute."

I blushed at him as we made eye contact and more of the white powder fell on my nose. I glanced down at the floor, to where he'd been stepping in front of me. "You left a trail!" I reached out to touch one of the circular marks his hoof had left behind.

At the same time, he was reaching also, and our hooves touched. He glanced up quickly, eyes locked on mine, "Hoofprints in the snow," he said with a breath.

We were inches from each other, but a voice interrupted from up ahead. "You two coming? We've gotta meet up with Ashe." the Guardian called.

"Right," I nodded.

After making our way through the old raider encampment, we found a group of soldiers waiting in front of a gas station. A unicorn mare was giving a speech. She stood atop a car. It was the Colonel from the Task Room.

"Listen up my little ponies!" she shouted over the parking lot. "My scout reports that an entire section of city is burning due to raider activity. Let me ask you to remember what it is they took from us in the first place! Not just trade, but this once amazing city. Now look what they do!"

There was a cry that sounded like "Yah!" from the group of army ponies.

"I demand they get what's been coming to them for a long time. Ponies must pay for their crimes. Monsters? Monsters must die!"

"She's insane," Wonder commented.

"More than a colonel," I said in awe. "She's like a princess!

"Lady Ashe…" Wonder and I were eyeing her with great admiration.

"What the buck is wrong with you two?" the Guardian waved a hoof in front of us when he saw the beating hearts in our eyes.

"Listen up," he said, "we're a solo party. We came to get details from the Colonel, but after that the three of us have authority to act on our own. You better pay attention to her."

"I can pay attention," Wonder smirked.

"Of course Guardian," I yipped.

Waiting until the troops had cleared out, we approached Ashe. She was talking into a radio, but she looked up when the three of us stopped in front of her. Wonder stood tall and with a grin, the Guardian looked all serious and unconcerned, but I tried to make myself look small but was unable to hide my nervous grin.

She was eyeing me, "This…is the Puppydog you chose Buck, the one I've heard about?"

"Good things, I'm sure," answered the Guardian.

"I'm sure."

"What's the word Erza?" Buck didn't like to waste much time.

"How dare you call me that right now!" the Colonel looked angry, but shaking her head she continued, "An initial observation of the source of all this ash has shown that a section of city is on fire and a group of raiders are concentrated but 3 klicks from the fire."

"Ash?" I glanced around at what I thought was snow. Wonder nudged me and reassured me with a smile.

"Shut up private!" Colonel Ashe shouted.

I stopped dead, not wanting to make her angry, "Yes Lady Ashe!" I shouted like a soldier yelling "sir yes sir".

"Don't call me that!"

"Sorry," I tried to scrunch myself smaller.

"Where's the source of the fire?" the Guardian asked.

"Near the heart of the city, in a quaint little downtown district. It's east of us from here, and just south of the Combat Zone."

"And the raider concentration?"

"Northwest of the fire, 3 klicks like I said."

"Then we'll make our way around, through the Combat Zone. I suggest putting out that fire quickly."

Ashe nodded, "To battle then. See you on the other side."

 _ **(Chapter 26 set for 1/21/18 at 10:30pm CT**_

 _Looks like we're getting into some more action with the raiders aren't we? Well just you wait kuz OJ and the Guardian are gonna make one badass team. And we can't forget Wonder, with his charming smile and smooth talking. Hope you picked up on the fact he was OJ's Nurse. I think it's cute x3 What else is cute is OJ's memories of Bookworm. I felt so happy to write another scene for them. Hey, what'd everyone think of Colonel Ashe? She's fun lol I gave her the name after one of the main characters in Final Fantasy 12, and her personality after Erza from Fairytale. Ashe Erza. An interesting mix if you know the two characters :) Anyway, here's to another exciting chapter! Love ya and see ya next time!)_

 **Brohoof! /)**


	31. Chapter 26 Broken Bits

**Chapter 26** Broken Bits

Bittsberg stretched before us, beckoning us forward. The mention of Combat Zone frightened me, I didn't want to relive that. Luckily, somepony had come along and made a good distraction from all that, but where she'd even come from when I'm pretty sure we left her behind with the General at the Bridge outpost, I have no clue.

Bouncing along beside us was Pumpkin Spice. She was happily going on about something called Hearthswarming Eve. She said the raiders were only trying to light the fireplace for the holidays, keep the hearth warm. It was almost easy to fall under a winter spell listening to her stories.

"…And ponies would work together to decorate the halls, and sing Hearthswarming songs!" Pumpkin exclaimed.

My mind kept wandering back to the Combat Zone though. It was too prominent to be distracted, no matter how excited Pumpkin was. I only got more worked up.

"Are we really going through the Combat Zone," I asked aloud. Then I bit my lip nervously.

" _Noo_ o silly, we're going around it!" Pumpkin answered with a wave of one hoof.

"Actually yes, we are going through it," the Guardian corrected. "While Ashe works to put out the flames, we'll be scouting before battling."

"Why?" I asked with a concerned look around at our surroundings. Only building after tall building, and who knew what hid in them?

"I have to make sure the Combat Zone isn't the original source of the fire, or if more raiders won't ambush us from there."

"That's good thinking," Wonder commented.

"B-but—"

"No buts OJ." stated the Guardian. "Besides, it appears we're already here."

He was right, and I wasn't excited. In fact I was shaking. However, my curiosity did get the better of me when I realized, I'd never seen an actual entrance to the Combat Zone before. When I escaped before, I'd kinda just slipped out on a random street. But here there were wooden stands sporting caution tape. There was a line of black and yellow caution stripes on the street too, painted from one end to the other.

The posts had been shoved aside and the wood had collapsed. I wondered if it was supposed to be like that. I took a step forward, peering down the street, then froze when I noticed my hoof on the dividing line.

"Looks like somepony was in quite the rush," Wonder observed, nudging a loose piece of the yellow tape.

"Yeah! They ruined all the decorations!" Pumpkin whined.

The Guardian had moved forward, "I don't think there'll be any cake either."

"Darnit! I was so looking forward to a welcoming committee." the mare hung her head.

The Guardian called us over, "Come look at this." He was standing at the entrance of a burned out building, staring with a hard expression at what was inside.

Bodies. A large group of raiders all just laying there dead. As though somepony had managed to kill all of them in one go without a single one realizing. And there were quite a few in here.

I backed away, choking on a cough. I bumped into somepony, and I turned to see Wonder. He put a hoof on me, "Hey, you got this tough guy." he said with a wink.

I nodded, "Yeah…yeah, I do." that's why I braved going inside when Pumpkin exclaimed.

"Well I've seen some _pretty_ _crazy_ things! But _never_ this!" she was at the far wall, by what looked like a reception desk. She was focused intently on some words written on the wall in red. Intently meaning she was standing on top of the reception desk leaning forward on her front two hooves to get a good look at the words on the wall.

"What do they say Pumpkin Spice?"

"Consider it settled!" she screamed with bug eyes. She looked insane!

By then the Guardian had joined us. "What's going on?"

More calmly, Pumpkin concluded, "Courtesy of the Circle."

"That's what it says?" I asked.

"You bet your buttons!" with that she leapt off the desk. "We've gotta go this way, trust me!" she ran through a door at the far end of the room.

"Is she always like this?" Wonder questioned.

The Guardian replied, "That she is."

"Should we go get her?"

"I was actually going to say the same thing. This building leads to the heart of the Combat Zone. If anyone was going to attack, it would make sense to go through here," he paused, then indicated the bodies in the room with a twitch of his head, "and through them."

"But Guardian!" I protested with a long whine, "I thought we were trying to get to the battle, not the heart of the Combat Zone. What if we find Combat Zone?!"

"He could be the one that started this fire. Come on." He followed after Pumpkin.

Wonder eyed me for a second before breaking into a smile, "There isn't shame in being afraid. Anypony like yourself can handle this fine." he stuck his tongue out then went to the doorway. I galloped after him.

* * *

All we found within the ruined skyscraper was emptiness and death. Most of the raiders had been slaughtered. Normally this should've been ok, but it was so massive. The Guardian looked grim as we passed each body. Eventually we came out onto a skywalk. The steel bearings swayed and groaned, complaining, and even Pumpkin slowed down. But we all stopped when the Guardian went still.

He spoke, "When a weak faction falls, a stronger one rises. Combat Zone was formidable. The Fort shut down because of him. We kept to ourselves unless they couldn't and we were threatened. But this…" the Guardian sighed as he surveyed the dark behind us once more. "I shudder to think what comes next."

Pumpkin gave a slow smile, "Colt, this Circle guy sure meant business didn't he?" her effort to lighten the mood was appreciated.

Over by the window, Wonder was taking this opportunity to reassess his medical supply. I trotted over to him, my eyes on the world outside. What I would've given for a view like this back in the Stable. The city towered like a steel forest. I wondered what a real forest looked like.

Billowing black clouds filled the sky, blowing in from the distance. Little white flakes continued falling, covering everything. It built up in piles in the cracks on the outside of the window and dusted the street. Everything was white.

"I see the smoke, but where's the fire?" Wonder had stood beside me at the window.

"You're right. We should see where the burning buildings are." the Guardian was nodding.

"We should keep going," Pumpkin called, already almost to door on the skywalk.

The next building was the same as the last, but Pumpkin looked like she knew where she was going. She bounced along, humming to herself without a care in the world. We were on the second floor when she stood stiff as a rod.

"Huh? What's wrong Pumpkin?" I went to her side, trying to look in her eyes.

"Shaking!" she yelled, causing me to jump away.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm shaking!"

"I've got this," Wonder was taking a step forward, reaching for his medical pack.

"No," the Guardian stopped him, "she has high Perception, it's normal."

"Normal?" Wonder was raising a brow.

"EFS, Orange?"

I jumped into action, looking around the room. My compass at the bottom of my vision shown green. This room was like a reception room. We had just come from an office area, with cubicles and work desks. But in here it didn't look very scary. A sofa there, a side table here, reception right beside us. Pumpkin faced a stairwell but parallel to the desk to our right was another side hallway.

It was looking at the desk that I saw a red blip appear on the compass. I opened my mouth to tell everypony but Pumpkin Spice spun around, flinging herself into the air, "He's behind the desk!" she said as she landed on said desk.

"Sh-shit!" a raider fell forward in alarm, and he rolled to his back to stare up at the angry pilot pony.

The Guardian immediately had a pistol raised, aimed so fast it looked like it had just appeared out of nowhere. "Soo cool!" I breathed in awe.

"Please!" gasped the raider, "Don't shoot!"

"And why in tartarus not?" the Guardian demanded, jerking his gun viciously and making the raider flinch.

"I'm just hiding here! I-I d-don't even have any weapons!" he cried. He scrambled back even further, pressing himself against the wall.

"Do you know who I am?" the Guardian snapped.

The raider took a second to look him over. That's when his eyes widened. "G-Guardian," his breath went from him. Eyes rolling over the rest of us. "You're from the Fort!"

The Guardian cocked the pistol in his hoof, the click it made loud and clear. I looked from the wild eyed Pumpkin to Wonder, who held his head to the side letting his bangs fall over his eyes, back to Buck. He was serious about this, but the thumping of my heart felt weird.

I jumped in front of the cowering raider just as the gun went off. There was a shout from Wonder, Pumpkin all but flew from the desk but it was over in a split second. I glanced around. A lamp right next to me had exploded and smoke curled dangerously from the barrel of Buck's gun.

"What in the name of Faust do you think you're doing Puppydog?!" yelled the Guardian. "I could have shot you!"

"Yeah, but you didn't," said Pumpkin Spice, standing right beside me.

I bit my lip but said, "You can't hurt him. He might be a raider, but…enough of them are already dead."

"Raiders lie and deceive, OJ. He'll stab us in the back the second we aren't looking."

I glanced at him, trying to make sense of him. He stared up at me, his eyes confused. He still had his back pressed to the wall.

Wonder laughed, "I heard him say he doesn't have any weapons."

"Not a lot of time to get any…" said Mr. Raider.

"What was that? Speak up." commanded the Guardian.

"They stormed in here! Faust, we were just preparing to see the filly Combat caught."

"Hey, I'm not a—" I looked between everypony and realized it didn't really matter.

"But C-Circle of Ash came!"

"Hey, that's the same name on that note we found!" Pumpkin said with a proud smile. "Who is this Circle of Ash guy?"

We were all watching him now and he had slowly sat up. He was sitting on his haunches and he looked scared to death. I didn't wanna hurt the poor guy. "You don't wanna know," he replied, one hoof messing with his vest nervously.

"Ooh ooh! Now I really wanna know!" she was leaning really close to him and he looked uncomfortable. "Tell me, tell me!"

"I've never seen him. But I've heard he's this tall gray unicorn, eyes so dark you can't even see them. He's the leader of this huge raider pack, unrivaled, except by us. See, Combat and Circle, they've been at it for years."

"A huge territory war," Pumpkin's eyes widened.

"Yeah! And now the Combat Zone? Well, I'm sure we'll be calling it the Circle of Ash here pretty soon." He shook his head, closed his eyes then hugged himself.

"Guardian! We can't leave him here all alone!" I cried out.

"Oh for crying out loud!" the Guardian took a breath and looked between me and the raider. "Grr…Fine." He poked the raider. "Get up and don't lag behind."

"S-sure!" he hopped up fast.

The Guardian was making his way for the door, the others following. I turned to go with them. "H-Hey, colt," the raider tapped me. "Why'd you save me?"

I stopped at the threshold to the stairwell. "I might just be too nice. But you're still a meanie."

* * *

"That was a brave thing you did, Cutie." Wonder walked by my side. We were outside now, following the street toward the warehouse I remembered being taken to. I could see it from here, we were on a hill heading down. The street was covered in the ash from the unseen fire, but smoke could be seen coiling out of the large warehouse.

"I just felt bad for him."

"You gotta wonder how long the sucker was there for." we glanced over at the raider, who was walking on along the sidewalk, staring at every building we passed. He was mumbling to himself.

"…We own this town. We own it. We do. Not them, not Circle or his ashlings. Fuck them, fuck off. Us, we do, this town is ours. It's ours…"

"That's sad. I'd feel sorry for him, but…" Wonder shrugged, leaving the rest implied. I knew what raiders could do, but I didn't wanna think it.

" _Ring around the rosies, pocket full of posies, ashes, ashes!"_ I looked around at the horrible singing and realized it was Pumpkin Spice. She was hopping from each drift of ash to the next, and singing very loudly.

" _We all fall down!"_ she screeched, her singing never very good.

"Well that's exciting, free entertainment." Wonder winked at me. That's when his hoof caught on something. He narrowed his eyes before flipping forward. He went into a roll, going straight down the hill. Somehow he'd managed to go down the middle and was missing the cars parked on the sides of the road.

"Oo! THAT looks fun!" Pumpkin cheered.

"Pumpkin, no!" the Guardian shouted, but she was already flinging herself into a roll.

"Buck!" he ran after the two rolling ponies.

The spectacle made me laugh the entire time. My whole face must've been red. I was tearing up.

"Damn, you look away one second." the raider had come away from the sidewalk, taking a place next to me as we walked.

"Hmm…" I glanced at him. He had a vivid blue mane that was shaved on one side and flipped to the other. He had white fur and his tail was short. "What's your name?"

"My name?!" he'd been caught off guard. "W-well, ya know. I was called Sucker Punch by my buddies. They're all dead now…"

I cocked my head. "I'm sorry they're dead."

"It's not your fault," he said, turning his face.

"But…I'm the filly!" I said in an exasperated breath. "I mean, I'm not actually a filly. Combat was unhappy when he saw my thingie," I lifted my leg a second, remembering. "But everypony was in that warehouse, and they all got attacked."

"Ha! Bet it's how you escaped then if you really are the filly Combat found." He glanced at me with some sort of admiration. It was weird. "I never once told anypony this, so you better shut it, but my real name is Poptart." He was smiling when he said it, but his whole face went bright red.

By then we were at the bottom of the hill. Wonder was standing by Pumpkin Spice and they were both laughing. The Guardian looked annoyed. "Look, you two calm down, we're just a few blocks away."

"Lead the way Ol' Buck!" Pumpkin yelled gleefully.

The Guardian facehoofed. "You said that in front of _him_." he glared at the raider.

"His name is Sucker Punch!" I yipped. Sucker's face was burning again, I'm guessing he thought I was gonna say Poptart. But he told me not to tell and I wasn't.

"Thanks," he said when everypony moved off. He was scratching his mane, biting his lip.

"No problem!" I beamed, then went after the group.

"Damn, I've never felt so vulnerable."

* * *

The old warehouse loomed up in front of us, like a huge monster ready to devour us. I wasn't sure how I felt coming back. I knew I was scared, but every new adventure always made me curious. Curiosity killed the cat, but it always got the better of me. Besides, I wasn't a cat, I was a Puppydog. With that logic in mind, I was the first one to the wide slidey doors.

A wave of stench hit my nose the moment I approached. "Why does it smell so bad," I started coughing.

The Guardian had turned on his helmet, "I don't know."

Sucker cantered up to the door. "Buck, I know that smell." a smell he seemed unaffected by.

"What is it?" Pumpkin spoke with a nasally tone, and she had a clothespin on her nose.

"Burning ponies…" he looked down at the ash that covered his hooves.

"How do you know what that smells like?" the Guardian snapped through his helmet speakers.

Sucker closed his eyes. "Me and a few pals used to burn some of our prisoners on occasion, for fun. Jack in the Box used to call it a Combat sacrifice."

"Colt classic," Wonder stated. "Great game you guys had huh?"

"I—" he glanced at each of us. He shook his head, having no words.

"We better open this door then, see why it smells like that." Pumpkin was trying to pull the door open. She had her hooves on a handle and she was tugging.

"There's a passcode lock," the raider trudged to the door slowly, looking up and down the side of the door, looking for something. He stopped when he found it, blowing at the wall. Ash fluttered around, revealing a keypad that'd been hidden underneath.

"You silly stallion!" Pumpkin laughed.

Sucker typed in the code, opening the door. It made a loud groaning sound, then an alarm buzzed on and off while it slid to the side on its track. Here was the fire, right inside. Piles of bodies, all burning, all rising smoke that carried the smell with it. And the ash, the ash was thick. The heat created a wind that blew the flakes in our faces as the door opened.

I backed away, bumping into the Guardian. "I'm gonna be sick." then I heaved once and threw up at the Guardian's feet. He scrambled back in surprise.

Wonder was right beside me in an instant, patting my back. "I'm here, you're safe."

"But they're not!" I choked, tears forming and falling.

Wonder put a hoof on my cheek, wiping them away, "We'll get the guys who did this. You and me together."

I looked into his eyes, "Y-Yeah. I'd like that."

He helped me up and we stood face to face. His nose booped mine and he smiled then Pumpkin's voice interrupted our small moment. I blinked before turning back to the door. I looked at her, but avoided looking into the warehouse.

"Hey, know what I do? I smile and brave it, and the ponies around me are better for it." she was talking to Sucker Punch. He was pressed against the side of the shack, his whole body quaking.

"M-my comrades, Combat Zone, everything! It's gone!"

"I'm sure they're not all gone. You're here. Just look on the bright side."

"What Celestia damn bright side?!" Sucker looked up at her with a tear streaked face. "That damn Circle took everything from me. He killed them all and now he's burning us like we're Pre-War trash."

"Oh Pocky Sticks!" she yelled. "He's the trash. I've never seen anything like this, not even from that rotten excuse for a stallion Combat Zone.

You know, aside from all the caravan raids, he mostly kept to himself here. I don't know what any of you ponies were thinking when you set up camp next to the Fort." she waved a hoof.

Sucker sat up, "Is she always like this?"

"Pretty much," said the Guardian.

"Well, I guess I'd say you're right." he got up, shutting his eyes tight before making eye contact with the mare in front of him. "Now you see why he's so scary to everypony. But if we're gonna fight we can't do it alone. Please tell me you have more than just you four?"

"Of course we do," the Guardian stomped a hoof.

"Ok," he took a deep breath, "I'm gonna need a weapon."

The Guardian put down his helmet a second, "Excuse me? Like we're gonna give you anything."

"You don't have to, and I don't expect you to. But I wanna help you, and I know a place. Combat has a secret stash of weapons."

"A secret stash you say?" Pumpkin was immediately interested.

"Sure, you think he'd keep the good stuff where anypony could get it? No, there's a shop just outside the Combat Zone in the downtown area."

"Can we go?" I begged the Guardian. It'd be cool seeing what it's like to be a treasure hunter. " _Please?_ "

He sighed, "Fine."

"Time to play follow the leader," Wonder said, with a nod to Sucker Punch.

The raider bright himself up. "Right then." He clicked the button on the keypad once again, watching the flames as the doors shut on what was left of his fellow raiders.

I had to admit how sad it still was.

 _ **(Chapter 27 set for 2/5/18 at 11:00am CT**_

 _This chapter felt a bit mysterious didn't it? They were in the dark on a lot of things. With that fire they had no idea what was really going on. All the dead raiders got a bit intense too. Then they meet Sucker, poor guy is scared to death. But how can we really feel hmm? He is still a raider who's done terrible things. You'll have to decide ;) We learn about the territory war between Combat Zone and Circle of Ash. If you remember back to Chapter 11 Show Stopper, OJ escaped because the warehouse was attacked. Looks like we now know by who. I wanna say that I chose the name of this chapter, Broken Bits, referring to Bittsberg. "Bits" comes from the name of the city because right now, with the fire and the raiders, it feels broken... This stuff is getting deep, and my plans for next chapter are interesting, so be prepared. Hehe, love ya!)_

 **Brohoof! /)**


	32. Chapter 27 Ashes to Ashes

**Chapter 27** Ashes to Ashes

The further into town we went the smokier the air became, and it got harder and harder to breath. Being here amongst all these shops, it was impossible not to think about Blitzfire. It was right now that I missed how he always had a solution for random situations. I'm sure if he was here, he'd pull out a gas mask for me and him and we wouldn't have to choke on the black air.

I didn't know why the air had to be so mean anyway. It hurt my lungs, scratched my throat. It was mean, like a snake, and I stuck my tongue out. A flake of ash fell on my tongue and I began to spit. It was dry and nasty!

"Everypony stop!" shouted Pumpkin Spice. "OJ, are you okay?" she turned to face me, leaning forward to stare into my eyes.

I smiled shyly, "I'm better, just ash."

Wonder was already opening his pack, pulling out a bottle, "I've got some purified water, that'll help ya out." He winked as I took it from his hoof. I took a few tentative sips.

The group continued on, making tracks in the layer of ash covering the street. It was thicker by the second and we were all covered in it, our backs and clothing covered in a white powdering. It was kinda cool, like we were all blending into the ground. We were invisible! That made me giggle, "Hehe, can't see me!" I ducked behind a random parked car, peeking up to see that the group was slowing down and stopping. I trotted over to catch up, wondering what was up.

Sucker Punch was the one leading the group, but he'd backed up a few steps to stand next to the Guardian. Just ahead of them were two raiders, who'd just come out of a store. Both wore scrap metal armor and gas masks. "Hey, who the buck are all of you?" one shouted.

"Holy horseapples, it's Sucker!" gasped the other.

"Faust, you guys…you made it!" Sucker moved forward a couple steps.

"So did you, always the tough guy. Circle can't touch us," the one was laughing, but the first was eying all of us with malice.

He bumped his partner with his shoulder, "Hey, don't they look familiar?"

That's when the the other raider took a second look at us, "Buck it, they're from the Fort!"

"Sucker, what the buck are you doing with them?"

Sucker took a look at each of us, then back at his raider pals, "We're going to Combat's stash. We're gonna fight Circle."

The first raider narrowed his eyes angrily, and he was lifting one hoof up slowly, the second raider bit his lip, trying to hold back a smile, then he burst into roars. "The _legendary_ Guardian, help you? Are you out of your mind?"

"Maybe Circle left you alive because you're too weak to bother with." said the first, his voice cold. He lifted a gun in that instant, starting to pull the trigger.

The Guardian fired off a shot, a huge burn forming a hole in the ash between the two raiders, "Put the gun down."

"Legendary isn't wrong," said Pumpkin with a proud smile.

"Come on guys," said Sucker, "you can't want this. We've got to survive. We can't let Circle win. We can't let him take the Combat Zone. It's not right."

"What happens when the Fort _does_ defeat him? _If_ they can defeat him? Then they turn on ya, that's what!"

"The Circle is a greater foe than the Fort, we can't ignore this."

"If that's the case, then these guys should be easy next to them. Why haven't you killed the lot?" the raider stomped his hoof.

Sucker shook his head, "You guys are thinking like…like raiders! Think like ponies for once, isn't that what we are?"

"Buck this, you've always been weak Sucker Punch." he lifted his gun again, but before he even got the chance to shoot, somepony else beat him to the punch. I thought it was the Guardian, but we all looked wide eyed as we realized it was Sucker's pistol that was smoking.

"But _you-_ oo told us you didn't have any weapons, Sucker!" Pumpkin stared pointedly at him.

"My name isn't Sucker Punch, dammit!" he was breathing heavily, despite the smoke and ash, and he was staring down the second remaining raider. "My name is Poptart…"

"You…you…traitor!" the raider was shaking his head, glancing back and forth between Poptart and the felled raider. "I'll kill you!" he made to move forward, but the Guardian cocked his weapon once more.

"Not another move."

I jumped forward, "Stop!" I was between everypony and the last raider. "Aren't you guys friends?" I gave him a wide eyed look. He stared at me aghast, but he had nothing to say in response. "Why are you trying to fight him? If you fight him then…you're no better than this Mr. Circle guy!"

"It's Circle of Ash…"

"I just saw a warehouse full of fire!" I yelled firmly. "The ash is raining from the sky like this amazing stuff called snow somepony once read to me about! And it doesn't taste good!"

My outburst made everypony silent. I don't think they'd expected me to jump in front of a raider and scream at him like this. But I was sick of it. Poptart was my friend. That's exactly what I told him too. "He's my friend…"

"You tell him hotstuff," Wonder made his way to my side, one brow lifted and a cute smirk on his face.

"Ashes-to-ashes and hoof-to-hoof," said the raider.

"No!" Poptart yelled. I wasn't sure what was happening, but in a second and a flash, I found Wonder on top of me and a heat wave passing over us. There was a bright orange light and my ears were ringing.

"What…what happened?" I sat up, knocking my snout into Wonder's chin without meaning to. I swear, his cheeks might've turned slightly pink but he looked away too fast, toward the source of the comotion.

"He had a grenade." He took a second, but then he looked deep into my eyes, "OJ, a-are you ok?"

"Wonder?"

He wrapped both arms beneath my head, pulling me in for a tight embrace. I hugged him back slowly, and I felt safe here all of a sudden. I knew Wonder was gonna protect me. "I'm okay now," I whispered.

"Good, that's the only thing I care about."

"Wow! Now _that's_ what I call lighting it up!" Pumpkin shouted, breaking the moment between me and Wonder. He helped me up.

"What's that phrase mean, what he just said," said the Guardian, facing Poptart down.

"It's a farewell to parted soldiers here in the Combat Zone," responded the downtrodden looking pony. "It means death."

"OOohh, lookie! He saved us!" Pumpkin was bouncing up and down in front of a third body, a few feet off, near the front of a car on the side of the road.

It was a unicorn pony wearing a cloak that was now scorched and tattered from the flames of the grenade. Underneath he wore armor of course, it was visible beneath the fabric of the cloak, flapping in the wind. "An ashling!" Poptart gasped, reaching down and pulling off a pin from the front of the hood. The smoke filled wind picked up the fabric, pulling it off and blowing it away. Like a ghost making it's departure.

"Creepy," I mumbled.

The pin was a little silver disk, a five pointed star engraved inside a circle. "That their symbol, I assume?" the Guardian asked.

Poptart nodded, "They're not hard to miss." he moved back to his fallen comrade. "Thank you…" he began to undo the straps on his raider vest, removing it. He laid it out on top of the pony who'd sacrificed himself to save us. "Ashes to ashes, we all fall down. Hoof-to-hoof we fight for each other. Goodbye."

Removing the vest revealed that his white coat had a pattern. Cute, little purple tic marks all over him. "Wow, they're so cool!" I barked happily.

"It's just part of my fur color…" said Poptart.

"Jimmie sprinkles! Yummy!" yelled Pumpkin, licking her lips.

"I'd like to taste that poptart," Wonder chuckled. "What flavor are ya?"

Poptart's face had gone pink. Even the Guardian was smiling. "Come on guys…"

"Well?" Wonder flipped his bangs impatiently, prompting the ex-raider to answer. "We're waiting."

"Fine, my full name is Jelly Poptart…Faust I hate myself." He covered his face in one hoof.

"Your mane is totally dyed isn't it!?" Pumpkin had her face buried in his mane.

"Gah!"

She was back in her original position, "Your sprinkles don't match your _mane colooooor_!"

"It's common to dye your mane out here. Raiders do it all the time."

"Well, I enjoy highlighting what makes it pop way better!" Pumpkin jumped into the air once, smiling at Poptart.

"Looks like you're one of us now," said the Guardian. "Time to prove your worth. Lead the way Poptart."

"Right."

* * *

You have discovered

FLIM FLAM EATERY

Two Pip-Bucks went off in sync, as both I and the Guardian discovered a new location. It was pleasant to hear a familiar sound, and it made me think back on good memories. This was honestly pretty exciting and I couldn't wait to go in. I bounded forward only to be immediately bounced back by something catching my tail.

"Now hold up Puppydog," said the Guardian with a slight smile. He knew I couldn't contain my excitement.

"But the Pip-Buck went off!" I was tugging forward, trying to go to the door, despite the pain from pulling on my tail.

Poptart wandered up to the door without anypony telling him no and he didn't seem to care even if we did. He was reaching for the door when my horn began to tingle. I tried looking up at my forehead, but my eyes didn't reach that far. Why did my horn itch? I was reaching up to scratch at it when two things happened: the Guardian let go of my tail and I tumbled forward face first, and Poptart was blasted back by a powerful burst of neon yellow magic as soon as he touched the glass door.

I rolled to my side just as Poptart was lifting his head. We both lay feet from each other, which was a weird coincidence. I smiled at him but he was too focused on the doorway. He had his eyes narrowed and he was muttering something to himself. "Damn those kiss asses. Tip and Rig must've locked this place up."

"Are you having a trouble?" Pumpkin Spice popped up in front of the fallen Poptart. He began to get up and she leant a hoof.

"Well, you could say that, but I should be able to get in. I'm one of Combat's…" he walked a couple steps forward, but he was wary this time. And not just of the door's magic. He kept glancing about, keeping an eye on everything. Pumpkin Spice followed to, right by his side, still curious what he had to say. "Either Combat is dead, Tip and Rig are both dead…or…" he glanced over at us, taking in the group. "Buck! It's all of you guys, you're not raiders."

"Well of course not silly!" Pumpkin giggled. "OJ, what're you doing?!" she gasped.

I glanced over at her. I'd just gotten up to go over to the door, but she couldn't possibly know that. I shook my head, then went over to the door. My horn was getting warm now, more magic building up. I let out some air at the feeling, it kinda hurt, "Oomph." I thought, this isn't the first time this has happened. But I also thought, last time it didn't start to hurt like this. I was taking yet another step toward the door when the magic built up again. I gulped as it burst toward me, and I thought I'd go flying like Poptart had…

* * *

 _A board full of notes, across from a table with a map, hung up on the wall. A pony stood there, he was short, green and his mane was scruffy and long. He had a nose ring, but he looked familiar. Nearby stood a light red pony, in front of a door. He stared straight ahead. His mane was white, and folded back on his head in soft waves._

 _"They all think we're weak and uncivilized!" shouted somepony. Me! Wait no, I wasn't the pony speaking, it was the pony I was occupying. It was like a memory orb, but this made no sense. I don't remember messing with an orb._

 _Another pony appeared in my line of sight. He was pitch black, like staring into a dark abyss. He was a unicorn, and his horn was tall. "And you think this," he put a hoof down on the table, "this will make us strong?"_

 _"It's Bittsberg! Ain't nopony there who can stop us! And trade is out of control. So much stuff just for the taking!" the pony I was in was leaning forward, staring intently at the map. Then his eyes lit on a tiny corner of the map._

 _"Ah, notice a problem?"_

 _"Buck off Circle." That's when I realized, I was in Combat Zone! The raider leader!_

 _"I see two problems. A Stable on the southernmost side of the city that has never been opened, meaning a whole civilized society could still be living there, ready to defend themselves at any time, and then there's this," Circle pointed at a large rectangle on the map._

 _"The Fort," Combat Zone spoke in a hushed voice._

 _"Our leader would never encroach on a city with a powerful defense such as that." said Circle._

 _Combat narrowed his eyes, and I only watched warily on. "Then we truly are weak."_

 _"Not quite," said Circle, and a dark magic sparked atop his horn for the smallest of moments._

 _Combat Zone began to smile as he watched Circle's horn. "You might just be the stupidest damn pony I've ever met." Circle of Ash inclined his head. "Hoof-soldiers!" There were about 3 or 4 sets of hooves that stamped at once as a few ponies came to attention. "On me! We have something—do—plan…" the memory began to glitch out, everything going fuzzy here and there, everything freezing and then resuming, and then it went dark for a second before lights blazed up again._

 _Angry rumbling was the first sound to reach my ears. The scent of smoke reached my nose. Then voices, lots and lots of voices. I wanted to cover my ears and crawl into a corner. But I couldn't, because Combat was standing tall and proud in front of another pony who was much taller than he was. Combat didn't care one bit._

 _"You would dare question me? How stupid are you colt? You need to learn your place!"_

 _Combat took a step forward, "No, I think it's time you learned yours. Our numbers are diminishing, we're cooped up, and ponies aren't scared of us anymore."_

 _The tall angry pony started laughing, "Ponies are plenty scared!"_

 _Combat slammed a radio down and turned it on. "Whoo, whoo! That's another raider victory for us here in the capital wasteland! Keep up the good fight y'all! DJ Pon3 reporting, and now for some classical entertainment—" he punched the power button before the music began playing. Aww…_

 _There were a few murmurings from ponies all around and Combat smirked. "How's that for fear? They're bucking killing us off! And it's all your Faust forsaken fault! Hoof-soldiers, time to come out now!"_

 _All around, Combat was flanked by ponies wearing heavy metallic armor. "What the buck is this?!" the raider leader reared back on his hind legs before slamming his front hooves down hard, glaring angrily at Combat._

 _"I hereby challenge you to right of leadership!"_

 _That's when the memory started shaking again, and when it stopped, Combat was staring hard at Circle of Ash, who was standing over the body of the ex leader. "BUCKING SHITHEAD! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT HUMILIATING HIM MEANT!"_

 _"You would leave him alive?" said Circle. But without waiting for an answer, he gave a vindictive smile and turned to the crowd of ponies. "Raiders of Manehattan! Hear this. Your leader is dead, slain by Combat Zone and Circle of Ash. We have a strong standing here, don't we my ashlings," a couple ponies came forward, smiling up at him, one even nuzzling against him like a cat. Circle lifted a hoof to stroke her chin. Then he continued speaking, "Join us, and realize power." his smile was wide, and I was scared of being devoured._

 _A few of the raiders moved toward him. Combat slammed a hoof down on the chair nearby. It had been where the leader had sat. It was so tall and so pretty! "Hoof-soldiers, to attention." a herd of raiders stood tall in front of Combat. "You pieces of shit have two leaders now. Circle of Ash wouldn't have gotten in the killing blow without all my effort. So buck off and choose who you pledge to wisely. But just know, it was me who decided what we really needed. WE ARE GONNA TAKE BITTSBERG FUCKERS!" his soldiers sent up a loud battle cry._

 _The tide of raiders heading toward Circle split, and eventually evened out. Now there were a few ponies bowing in front of Circle and the rest cheering and yelling in front of Combat. "Hoof-soldiers, attention!" Most of Combat's soldiers stopped what they were doing and stared up at him, the rest were confused but didn't seem to care. "I said ATTENT—TION—I said…."_

 _Fire crackled, all around ponies yelling. It sounded like a thousand voices, but the memory regained focus, and it was just two voices and a few stamping hooves. Barrels with flames burning within filled the room. We were inside a small warehouse. I don't think it was the same one that I'd been taken to, where bodies now burned._

 _I was face to face with Circle of Ash. His eyes glowed a powerful angry red. I would've thrown myself backward out of utter terror if I wasn't inside Combat Zone. Eep! I did not know a pony's eyes could glow so dangerously._

 _"I bucking told you Circle, we open the bucking Stable, we go inside, slaughter those pieces of shit, then take what's ours!"_

 _"And I told you, power lies in the Fort. We take out those assholes, and we own this city."_

 _"We already bucking own this Faust damn city!" Circle screamed. "We've taken control of the main trading routes, slowed caravan travel and taken most of what comes from all over Equestria! Now all that's left is the Stable. You dumbass!"_

 _"What of the other trading routes? The Fort has taken a notice to you." why was Circle's voice so icy calm? It was eerie._

 _"I have my hoof-soldiers on that. What bucking happened to your ashlings?"_

 _"They are investigating the Fort!" Circle jumped back in a burst of dark magic. Now he was loud and now he was angry. His eyes left a red trail and as he brought himself to his full height, I realized just how dangerous this stallion was. I didn't want to mess with him, I didn't want to go anywhere near him._

 _Combat Zone jumped upward fast, landing on top of a barrel and not caring to the fire snapping beneath him. His hooves spread on the rim of the barrel, he stood to face his friend. "You bucking WHAT? You didn't tell me about this."_

 _"I don't bucking have to Combat Zone. They are my ashlings."_

 _"My soldiers! My raiders. I challenged our leader, I won!"_

 _"No, I killed our leader."_

 _Combat slammed a hoof down, and I felt the burn of the flames, but Combat didn't care. "We were supposed to work together on this, but obviously I was wrong. Get the buck out of this building Circle."_

 _"You're going to kick me out? I'd like to see you try."_

 _Combat leapt from the barrel, the momentum bringing it down with him. Flames burst upward from the inside in a pillar behind Combat. "HOOF-SOLDIERS, I WANT YOU TO SHOW THIS DEMON WHAT WE'RE MADE OF." he called into the the room as loud as he could. As they swarmed him Combat smiled, "You see, I have more raiders following me than you do. I would take your ashlings and leave immediately. And I don't want to see you in this city again."_

 _"You think you're better than me, smarter, more powerful. But you hide behind these brats Combat, and I promise you," Circle smiled,_

 _"Hoof-to-hoof, I will be back."_

 _A huge burst of magic emanated from his horn, and it slammed into everypony. Most of the raiders were blasted away or fell down, but Combat stood his ground against the powerful magic. Like he'd done this before, I felt it in his beating heart._

 _"Ashes to ashes, Circle."_

* * *

The magic washed over me in a powerful wave, showing me all these memories in one go. I gasped, feeling like I was losing my breath and like my horn was on fire. I slammed myself to the ground in front of the door, tears streaming from my eyes. "It hurts!" I was yelping like an injured dog.

"Whoa OJ!" Pumpkin Spice galloped forward first. "That was a doozy! How did you just stand there like that?"

I tried to sit up, but my head hurt too much and I plopped back down. Right into some scattered glass. "Ack!"

"OOOH, I _see_ ," Pumpkin leaned over me, "OJ, you triggered a memory orb! Look, that's a shattered orb."

"More than one shattered orb by the looks of the colors," the Guardian held out a hoof to me while he surveyed the area. "There's orb glass all over the sidewalk here."

"Some of Combat's cronies put up the barricade on the door?" asked Wonder.

Poptart nodded, "Yeah, had to of been Tip and Rig, at Combat's orders."

Wonder snorted in amusement, "Looks like Combat left a momentum then."

"Well the door's open now!" Pumpkin pushed it open, and a little bell rang. She bounced on in happily. The Guardian followed after her, then Poptart. Wonder stayed, and he nudged me with his forehead.

"Are you okay Cutie?"

"I-I…" I stared down at the broken memory orbs sprinkled in front of the door.

"What'd you see?" he asked me.

"They hate each other, b-but they used to be best friends. Why does everypony keep losing their best friends?" I bit my lip then moved off into the restaurant.

 ** _(Chapter 28 posted 2/8/18 at 7:15pm CT_**

 _I told ya I had something interesting planned for this chapter. Now we've got some backstory into Combat's and Circle's feud XD And don't forget what Combat called him...I have a plot twist idea ;) Let's look forward to next chapter, and then I got something special planned for a special day this month :P Hehe. Love ya!)_

 **Brohoof! /)**


	33. Chapter 28 Dining Out

**Chapter 28** Dining Out

 _Ting ting!_ Went the bell as we moved into the front room. We spread out, the Guardian and Poptart looking around with careful eyes. Pumpkin bounced on in merrily, a smile on her muzzle as per usual. I smiled back at her as she hopped past me. Wonder came in behind me.

What a front room it was. The tables were all white and glossy, the chairs were all lined on the walls, or were stools and were all padded. The floor was a checker pattern of large black and white squares. My eyes lit on the cute little tiles that adorned the side of the counter, all white and blue. The menu was dusty and old and wasn't lit anymore, but it was in that same white and blue theme with old fashioned looking script and bold eye catchings ones for important headers.

"Wow! What I wouldn't give to dine out in a place like this!" Pumpkin gasped.

"You said it," agreed Wonder.

We were all amazed, all except the Guardian and Poptart, who were more cautious and alert than anything. Poptart went to the counter, shoving a stool aside. He put his front hooves on top, peering into the space beyond. The Guardian had went over to a large rectangular object with a rounded top. He was poking at it, looking more curious now. Like me! Hehe.

I skipped over to him, "Hey Guardian, what's that you're lookin' at?" I was beaming.

"I honestly don't know." he blinked a couple times. "Where's this so called weapons stash?" he shouted over to our raider friend.

Poptart was halfway through climbing over the counter. He stopped midway through taking a step forward, looking caught in the act of troublemaking. He looked funny as he stared with alarm at the Guardian. Then he shook his head, hopped to the floor on the other side of the counter and shouted back, "Who knows, to be honest. I'm not Combat Zone." he disappeared into a back room. "Just gotta keep searching!"

The Guardian gave a last look at the big box. I turned away from him to go follow Poptart. I took a running leap at the counter, hopping on top and jumping off on the other side. I was laughing the whole time, having fun with this. I made it to the back area, but now I was in a small hallway. I wasn't sure which way the other pony had went so I just took a random right turn. Or was it left? I didn't know directions.

I was smiling and humming to myself when I came to a doorway on one side of the hall that was cracked open. A light was coming from the room, the only light in the whole building. I stuck my nose forward, making a curious "Hmm?" sound. My nose pushed the door the rest of the way open. Inside there were some heavy military crates. They were all unlatched and hanging open. I trotted up to one, but it was empty, as were all the rest.

"This is very strange. What are you crates doing hiding in here, hmm?" I asked aloud.

Something made a loud crash behind me and I jumped around in a frenzy. A large glass item had fallen off a shelf, landing right in front of a trap door hidden at the far end of the room. "Hey there! Thank you crates!"

I used the barrel of my shotgun to sweep aside the broken glass, and I was positioning myself backward to climb into the trap door, when somepony came into the room. He was shadowed from the low lighting of the hallway. He stopped when he saw the broken glass and noticed me.

"Who the buck are you?"

Oh no…I recognized his voice. It was Combat Zone! The mean old pony who tried to hurt me back in the warehouse a couple weeks ago. I froze, staring at him and my heart slamming into my chest like a bird trying to break free. The raider leader stepped forward, coming into the light. It was him, his yellow and black caution striped mane familiar. I knew they reminded me of caution lines from the caution tape at the entrance to the Combat Zone.

"You? You're not bucking dead? What the fuck?" he came toward me and in that instant of fear I tried to scramble further down the ladder. My hooves slipped and I lost my grip. I fell backward, flipping toward the ground. I flailed my legs desperately but it was no use. I started screaming, not sure why, it was just natural. When my back hit the ground below, everything was black. I mean it was black anyway, it was so so dark down here…

* * *

"Combat…" a voice came from a distance. "…alive!" I opened my eyes, looking around, but the area was so bright.

"Combat! Faust, you're alive!" Poptart had his voice raised in excitement.

When my eyes adjusted to the burst of light, I sat up and looked around. We were in a cramped underground tunnel, and there was a light bulb with a chain attached hanging from the ceiling. The walls were made of dirt and supported by wood beams. Combat was near the ladder and Poptart stood between me and him.

"H-hey Poptar—" I looked over to Combat and immediately switched to, "arrr-Sucker Punch."

I was ignored. "Damn, I got some raiders left standing after all. Tip and Rig would be enthused!"

"Whattaya mean 'would be'?" Poptart was hoofing the ground gingerly.

"I haven't seen 'em since we opened our original wards on this shop. I told 'em to go back and reseal it while I got our base stash of weapons."

"They didn't follow you down here?"

"No, I had them go over a couple blocks to the Hay Burger. I was gonna meet them there using the tunnels after getting some items from our primary stash. I got there and the shop was empty."

"Wait, there's two treasure troves?" I was on my feet down, and really interested in their conversation.

"What the _buck_ is this filly even doing here?" Combat planted his hooves in an angry stance. "Shut your mouth filly!"

"He's not a filly Combat. I can't believe I'm the only one who realized that when you asked for a show of hooves."

Combat turned his death glare on Poptart. "Are you defending him?"

"Combat, sir, he's helping me. He can help you too. He broke through those wards your fuckcolts made."

"There's ponies from the bucking _Fort_ upstairs? You better not be shittin' me. And Tip and Rig are not fuckcolts."

That caused Poptart to burst into laughter. "They most certainly are. They've slept with more than half our hoof-soldiers."

"Faust, you're not wrong," Combat looked to the side, but he was smirking.

"What's a fuckcolt?" I yipped.

"Um, let's not mention it again, kay?" Poptart glanced at me and bit his lip.

"Soo, the Fort is helpin' ya out are they?" Combat stared at me with greedy eyes. Why did he always look at me like that?

"I'm not sure if it's that way exactly, but the Guardian is certainly on board at this point."

Combat whistled through his teeth, "The Guardian! And is his Puppydog here too?"

"That's me!" I barked excitedly.

Combat went dead in the face, "Damn, missed opportunity."

"So there's a second treasure trove?" I asked hopefully.

"Not so, just the one." Combat shook his head.

"OJ!?" shouts from upstairs. "Poptart?!" it was Pumpkin Spice. Distantly I heard the Guardian shouting for us too.

"P-Poptart?" Combat burst into laughter. "Is that your actual name?" he stamped his hooves.

"Given to me before I was picked up by Jackie." Poptart was staring down at the ground down. Solemnly at his own hooves. "Jackie…"

"Oh! There you are!" Pumpkin poked her head into the hole. "Hey there Combat Zone!" she closed her eyes and beamed at the raider leader.

"Wh-What?! How in tartarus do you know my name?" he flipped around to stare at the poofy maned pony.

"Wha? I don't know your name! Don't be silly, we just met!" Pumpkin waved a hoof, then she held it out to him, "My name's Pumpkin Spice, what's yours?" When he made no move to take her hoove she began to withdraw it, but she must've lost her balance because she fell in right on top of him.

They picked themselves off the floor, Combat taking a step away from the mare. Pumpkin screamed up toward the trap door, "HEY, I FOUND THEM!"

"Soo," Poptart started, "what is our primary stash?"

Combat closed his eyes and shook his head, breathing heavily, "The Fort isn't your enemy now. Think of Circle." He stamped a hoof, kicking up a lot of dust. "BUCK! Fine, why don't I tell the whole wasteland."

"Or just show us instead," said the Guardian, who'd appeared at the top of the trap door. He was pointing a gun at Combat Zone's head.

"Aww, Guardian, do you have to do that every time? He's gonna help us!" I whimpered.

He looked me in the eye. "You can't be trusting of everypony, and he's a raider, Puppydog. I'm gonna have to teach you that. It's a dangerous world."

Combat flipped around with his own gun, "HEY YOU DONKEY, YOU GOT TWO CHOICES HERE!" he shouted. "ONE, DIE RIGHT NOW FOR THREATENING ME. OR TWO…" he breathed, "set aside your faust damn differences, like I was about to do."

"He might be what's caused the Fort so many issues, but Guardian, you've got a bigger problem." that was Wonder, coming in behind the Guardian now. I hadn't seen him, but then again it was pretty cramped down here.

"Wonder!" I was excited.

"Lower your weapon and I'll lower mine," said the Guardian.

Combat grumbled, but he put his gun back in its holster. The Guardian nodded and came down the ladder. He was followed by Wonder, who moved to stand by me. "I hope you're alright cutestuff." he whispered to me. I nodded at him. He nuzzled me before quickly moving off.

The Guardian and Combat had went to the head of the group. "So, what's in the primary stash? You know, these kinda things really make my Puppydog curious."

"They do! They do!" I hopped up and down.

"You really want a spoiler alert?" said Combat Zone.

"I _AM_ a spoiler alert," said Pumpkin Spice loudly. She was also standing upside on the tunnel ceiling right above Combat when she said it. She was standing right behind me now though.

"So that just happened…Anyway, fine. There are suits of power saddles. Wiiiiith minigun attachments." As he spoke he was turning full circle to buck at a metal wall we'd come to. I wasn't sure what I expected to happen, but when it fell over I was a little shaken.

"What'd the wall ever do to you?" I whined.

"It was a fake wall. To hide this…" we turned a corner to find a small gear shaped door in the next hallway. It had no symbols or markings except for a metal plaque.

"Stable 28-C extension facility production halted indefinitely. Air filtration installation deadline exceeded. Until further notice, do not use as fallout shelter. Stable for storage and security use only." Pumpkin read the sign aloud.

You have discovered

Stable 28-C Storage Facility

"That isn't your ordinary diner," said Wonder.

"I didn't know there was another part of the Stable all the way over here!" I gasped.

"Whoever ran it probably wanted to save themself by having the Stable extended over here." the Guardian stated.

"It's quite a looo _oong_ way to build tunnels from the Stable to an extension downtown," said Pumpkin. "No wonder they never got it done." then she popped up next to me, "Or iiiis it?"

"What if it is?" I widened my eyes.

"Nah, can't be."

"Alright!" Combat interrupted with an annoyed shout, "Enough!" He slammed a hoof on the button on the panel next to the door. An an alarm buzzed and the gear slid over. It was much smaller so it was also much faster.

"Honestly, it's probably good I gotcha helping out. I had no idea how I was going to move all this armor. But with 6 of us…" he glanced at the Guardian, who was already in a sort of heavy power armor. "Well, you're armor is special, I assume you won't be changing it. So, 5 of us. We'll be fine."

"Better than nothing against Circle and his ashlings," Poptart added.

We dashed into the storage stable, finding stalls with power saddles attached. They were just the right size and I hopped over to one. The body of it was mostly black but looking at it right it had a light green glossy undertone. It also looked like a pony and I said hi. "Well hey Mr. OJ." I grinned at my reflection in the helmet eyes.

I got close and it suddenly hissed. I thought I'd made it mad! Then it began to open up. "H-Hey!" I gulped. But I saw a way to fit myself in so I began to climb up.

"OJ, what're you—?" the Guardian called. Then the power saddle closed up around me and I felt different somehow. Everything lit up around me.

"Whoa! This is so freaking awesome!" I jumped into the air and came down with a loud crash. "Hehe." my entire EFS had changed from green to orange. The AP bar and HP bar were now big circles with dials and tick marks as well. Very interesting!

"Alright, don't get carried away hotshot." said Combat, climbing into his own armor. "To activate the minigun, pull up on the lever on your left leg and aim with your right hoof and HUD. The trigger is easy to find."

"What's a HUD?" I asked, tilting my head.

"Heads Up Display," the Guardian told me, "I have one too."

"That's so awesome!"

The Guardian came over to me, "Here, the radio is right here." He tapped a button on my the side of my helmet. Activating his own helmet he said through the comm, "Now you can talk to me like this, and nopony else can hear unless you want them too. Going to the data tab on your Pip-Buck you can pick up on our Fort channel with a code I'll send you."

My EFS notified me of the code. "Hey thanks Guardian!" I smiled at him brightly before I realized he couldn't see my smile. I wasn't too bright, heh.

"The button just below the helmet channel key opens the helmet and lets you take the saddle off."

"Thank you!"

"Are you sure I should be using one of these things?" Pumpkin was saying as she climbed into her own. She'd chosen a brown and dark orange one.

"To be honest, I barely trust you with scissors," said Wonder, winking at her as he finished attaching his medical pack to the back of the saddle he'd chosen and was now getting in. The armor he'd chosen was cute for him, brighter colored than some of the others and had some dark red stripes across it. It matched him. I watched until his helmet closed. The ear flicked once. Hehe!

"I barely trust _myself_ with scissors!" Pumpkin cackled at that, "but I've been doing it for years!"

"Right," the Guardian nodded at her, "But you certainly haven't been using power saddles for years."

Pumpkin tilted her head inside her armor, "Does the Fort even have power saddles?"

"That's why this would be a treasure trove!" I yipped, happy to contribute.

The Guardian sighed, "Let's not talk about what the Fort has and doesn't have." he shook his head.

"Are we all ready to go then?" said Poptart.

The Guardian: "Affirmative."

Me: "Yeah!"

Wonder: "You got that right."

Of course, Pumpkin: "I'm ready whenever everypony else is!"

"Let's get to it," finished Combat Zone. He led the way out of the room.

I took one last curious look into the Stable, missing its familiar walls but at the same time glad to be free. There were hallways and doors leading deeper in and I wonder what hid in the depths of 28-C. My last thought was of how the Guardian felt about this too…

 **OOO**

Quest added

RING AROUND THE ROSIES

Objectives:

~Choose to follow Combat and Poptart into battle, along with Tip and Rig and other raiders met along the way.

OR

~Choose to follow the Guardian and Lady Ashe into battle, along with Wonder, Pumpkin Spice and other friends met along the way.

 _ **(Intermission II set for Valentine's Day! YES YOU HEARD ME RIGHT ^^ I PLAN FOR YOU HEARTS AND HOOVES DAY CHAPTER HEHE**_

 ** _Posted 2/16/18 at 11:00pm CT_**

 _I really hope I'm able to get this little holiday chapter written and posted by Valentine's Day, but even if it's not right on the 14th, it'll be very close to the day._

 _Soo, turn of events! The Guardian is not happy about working with Poptart, but now he has to work with Combat Zone too? The guy who kidnapped OJ_ and _has been causing the Fort problems from the very first caravan attack? Yeah, no, the Guardian is NOT happy. And as you can see here with new quest and objectives, OJ has a serious choice._

 _Hmmm... I think it'll be fun for some audience participation. State what you think OJ should choose and possibly why you think he would in your review, and vote on what he'll choose. I only get a couple reviews per chapter, so that's an even match. I'll choose the best idea ^^ Don't be shy about it and say something like, "You're the author, you choose" Audience participation can be fun! Hehe._

 _I'm excited about this battle, and that'll be coming up after our little intermission. These power saddles are gonna badass! I have to admit, I was playing a videogame, Grand Theft Auto 5 XD and one of the heists had some serious military equipment and included a minigun. The cop was like OH SHIT and I was like OH YES. Perfect for Combat's secret weapon stash._

 _Anyway, can't wait for more advancements to this story. See ya soon! Love ya!)_

 **Brohoof! /)**


	34. Intermission II Be Mine

**Intermission II** Be Mine

 _(Note, this chapter takes place out of context from the rest of the story. It falls into the timeline sometime after Chapter 29)_

Decorations lined the halls of the Fort and hung from every ceiling in the South Sector. I opened my door to find it all. _What a wonderful start to the morning!_ I was thinking. But where did they all come from I was also wondering. I decided to follow the trail of decorations. Humming to myself a cute little tune, I skipped along after the heart shaped balloons. I think it was a popular song about standing up for yourself against foalhood bullies. I'd heard it on the radio!

That's when a familiar cream pony swept past. I spun in place like a top, and he came around to catch me up in his soft hooves. "Hey there Cutie." Wonder winked at me with a sly grin. "Early bird gets the worm."

"That's for sure!" I giggled as he put me back on my feet.

"I think somepony has another party up her sleeve." Wonder booped me with his hips.

"You mean, Pumpkin Spice did this?" I stared up at the decorations in awe. They were everywhere. How could she have possibly done this in just one night?

"Oh, I think somepony has a party planned!" Pumpkin Spice leapt into the scene. She had a questioning look on her face, "But I would keep it up my mane, not my sleeve!"

"How'd you do it Pumpkin!" I goggled at her.

"Oh hold on!" she gasped. Running into the hall she'd come from for the slightest of seconds, she was suddenly pulling a long round object. Very tall, very sleek and very blue.

"What in Equestria is that!" I barked at it! Was I a pony or a dog hehe.

Pumpkin Spice laughed. "You're a pony Orange Juice, don't be silly." turning to the thing on wheels she'd pulled in from the intersection, she said, "THIS IS PINKIE PIE'S PARTY CANNON!"

"Full of surprises! I like it!" Wonder made a cute kissy face wink and smiled at the mare.

"Aww, you'll make me gush," Pumpkin was already gushing.

"Wait, party cannon?" I cocked my head, stepping toward the cannon. "What's that?" I sniffed at it.

"It's an instant party in a cannon!" said Pumpkin Spice. "With it, I can throw a party wherever I go!" she tapped the barrel, "I NEVER leave home without my party cannon."

"Where'd you get that baby," Wonder inquired.

"Oh, you know, just out exploring the wasteland like I _sometimes_ do." She stuck out her tongue. "Just left out hiding in the back of a crashed transport truck. Near the old city dump! The DUMP!"

"So _that's_ how you've been putting everything up!" I marveled at it.

"That's super duper right!" she beamed. "Though, I did have to remove a bunch of posters saying, PINKIE PIE IS ALWAYS WATCHING!" she screamed that last part. "Sorry, it was in big bold capital letters. That usually means yelling."

"So what are the decorations for?" I asked. I grabbed a balloon string with my teeth, pulling it down so it bobbed just above my head. It was a big, red, shiny heart.

"What? Are? They? _FOR?_ " her eyes went so wide I thought they'd fall out of her face. I hoped that wouldn't happen to her. "It's Hearts and Hooves Day OJ!"

"In three days baby," Wonder flipped his bangs. "I got plans."

"Plaaaaans?" Pumpkin leaned toward him with a whine. "You _can't_ have plans! _I_ have plans! For everypony."

"We'll see what happens then." his look into my eyes made me blush. Was he implying me? I didn't have the chance to ask though because he was already walking away.

Pumpkin slid toward me, "Ooooh, I see what's happening here."

"Huh?"

"You're face to face with love and it's strange!"

"That's a weird thing to say." I giggled. I couldn't say how many of those giggles were nervous though.

"This. Is. PERFECT!" she shrieked.

I beamed at her, "What's perfect?"

"He might have plans. But so does a certain cupid." she was rubbing her hooves together slyly.

She grabbed my hoof, "Come on OJ! We've gotta party to plan, hehe."

Quest added

BE MINE SPECIAL SOMEPONY

* * *

Wonder

Smooth talking was my greatest skill, and I wouldn't be surprised if my cutie mark would relate to it somehow. I was a charmer, I knew how to get what I wanted. But then, why did my heart flutter like a caged bird every time I was around that colt? I didn't know how to get _him_.

Staring at myself in the mirror above my dresser, I looked through my drawer of jewelry. I had a bit that I'd collected over the years. Not sure where it had all come from. But this world was desolate, and you had to find some way to make it better. Maybe that's why I was obsessed with the punk look. It was a way to cope, but as I stared at myself with a smirk I also knew it made me look sexy.

Flipping my bangs I chose a nose ring that had a spike at the end. Then I found the perfect ear cuff to match my spike armlets. Faust, I wanted to win OJ's attention, I wanted to be noticed. He was so damn cute! I blushed at myself. My eyes widened. _How sexy would that be…_ I smiled and opened my makeup kit. I didn't play games when it came to this. I knew how to handle myself around makeup. You don't have to be a mare to wear it, at least in my opinion.

I chose a blush color that matched my mane color. Dark red, or wine. The blush I picked up was called Crimson Caravan. I applied just the right amount, only enough to be modest. I looked at my gold speckled eyes, thinking a dark blue eyeshadow would compliment the blue of them. I wasn't wrong. "You know just the right look, dontcha Wonder." I winked, feeling confident.

I was turning to go when I accidently kicked the bottom drawer of the dresser. It opened slightly and I saw the corner of something within. "Oh!" I pulled open the drawer and withdrew a magazine titled Vanity Mare. I had found this in downtown Bittsberg a long time ago. It was so old and tattered, but the mare on the cover had the best mane style for a punk look. I think I would get my mane done today! Yes, I may know how to do my own makeup, but I couldn't fix my mane. Leave it to Pumpkin Spice though.

It would be costly. Pumpkin charged plenty of caps for her makeovers. Of course, it was her specialty. I couldn't blame a gal. But this would be worth it. Hearts and Hooves Day was in three days. I needed to look my best. I wasn't lying when I told that Cutie I had plans. My plans were for him, and him alone. I smiled thinking about the night in my head. I was a romantic if anything else. But so many preparations! I was a confident and determined pony. I did not give up easily.

I ran to the other side of the room and opened the storage chest at the foot of my bed. I kept a lot of things in here, including a bag full of most of my caps. I dumped out what I thought I'd need and then tied the bag off again. I found a coin purse for the caps, and put it in the pocket of my vest. Grabbing the magazine, I left my room, kicking the button panel to close the door with a swift jerk of one hoof.

Off I dashed to the salon. I got there as quick as I could, galloping past ponies in the hall, one even spinning and falling from my rush. The door was open when I got to the salon, and a certain somepony called my name as I burst in. "Oh hey Wonder!" called Pumpkin gleefully. She wasn't even looking at me. "Don't run into that—" I smacked into a rolly chair, and ended up sitting perfectly in it. I wasn't about to fall to the ground! "—chair."

I swiped at my forehead with a hoof, "Heh, not a problem." I glanced around as I picked myself out of the chair, "Where's Orange Juice?"

"I have him on a super secret Hearts and Hooves mission!" Pumpkin laughed.

"Not so secret when you say what it's for." a mare getting her mane done snickered.

"Wait," I narrowed my eyes, taking in the shop, "where's your party cannon?"

"Pinkie Pie's party cannon!" Pumpkin's voice rang out.

"You gave it to OJ didn't you!" I gasped.

Pumpkin spun around, staring at me aghast, "Now you've ruined the secret!" she frowned, looking at the tiles of the floor. "Oh well." she shrugged with a smile. "I can help you in just a minute Wonder, I'm almost done here." she giggled as she flipped the scissors in the air. Faust, how she caught them would remain a mystery to me.

"I'm heading off to find that Cutie! Worry about me later!" I called with a shake of my head and a slight grin as I raced off to find the sexy pony I had a crush on.

"Suit yourself!" Pumpkin screeched from the salon.

"Oh, I will," I snickered to myself.

* * *

Orange Juice

Shaking my hips as I listened to hammy, I shimmied on down the hall with the big ol' party cannon lugged in front of me. My super secret mission objective? Pumpkin told me not to tell you! But I don't know who You is, so I'm gonna anyway. I'm going to decorate the main atrium this afternoon in preparation for a big party! Pumpkin's words exactly: "I've loaded this baby up with the finest quality heart shaped balloons this side of the wasteland!" I could not wait for them to explode outta here! Hehe.

It was midday, and ponies in the atrium were busy eating lunch and chatting. Light shown down from skylights above on the area here, a walkway with garden beds in the middle. I remembered running through here late at night when I took the Guardian's memory orb. This was just one section of the atrium however. It was a gathering place for the ponies of the Fort. I passed ponies sitting on the sides of the garden beds, some sitting on little benches. Everypony was busy with something but I noticed nopony was alone.

I smiled as I reached the doors to the main meeting hall of the South Atrium. The opened with a loud clang, being automatic. They were so large though and tall! I stared in wonder. Inside, the room was round, and even taller than the doors. The roof was glass and dome shaped here. There were some tables, but they were all pushed to the sides. There were some ponies in here, but it was less loud with chit-chat.

"Guess what everypony!?" I exclaimed. The room grew silent as they focused on me. "We're gonna have a partay!" I said, remembering how Pumpkin Spice liked to say the word.

"A party?"

"Why does he have a cannon?"

"What's going on?"

Some whispers reached my ears. I giggled as I took the match Pumpkin had given me and lit it on the side of the cannon. I brought the flame to the string sticking out the back. "Is he gonna light that?!" "It's gonna go off!" "What's he thinking?"

"It's a party cannon, don't worry everypony!" I was giggling.

That's when somepony else burst into the room yelling, "OJ, no!" I turned to see who it was, forgetting to aim the cannon properly.

"Too late! It's already lit!" I said, seeing Wonder bolt toward me.

Not sure why, but Wonder threw himself toward me as the cannon ejected its fodder. I think he was trying to put out the spark that was setting of the cannon, but the string was really short so he was just being a silly party pooper. Hehe, pooper!

 _BLAM!_ The cannon went off. All over the poor ponies in the room. Thankfully there weren't too many of them. A few heart shaped balloons floated upward and stayed hugging the glass roof, but for some reason there were a bunch of large posters that had shot out and unraveled. The few ponies in here were now buried in them.

"Pinkie Pie is always watching?"

"Who's that?"

"It's in big bold capital letters. That usually means yelling right?"

Wonder looked at me and laughed, "Yes, according to Pumpkin, it certainly does."

He was above me, like he was trying to protect me. We both stared deep into each other's eyes and I couldn't look away. His were softly gold speckled diamonds. Something about them were just so enticing. I'm not sure why he didn't get up though. It was weird to stay on the floor! It was all dusty and dirty.

"Hey!" said one stallion, shoving a poster away and helping a mare untangle herself from hers. "You can't come bursting in here shooting Pre-War posters at us! I'll have you reported."

"Yeah, I'll stand by that!" said the mare he'd helped.

"It's rude and uncalled for," said the third mare.

They were ganging up on me! I didn't know what to do so I did the only thing I could think of and I planted my face snug into Wonder's chest. "They're ganging up on me!" I gasped. I was scared.

"Hey! Back off! This is my Cutie and nopony gets a taste but me." he gritted his teeth at them, sending them a hard stare.

"Watcha gonna do about it?" said the rough looking stallion. Coulda sworn he had a large scar right under his eye but I didn't wanna look!

I saw Wonder stomp a hoof, which drew attention to the spikes on his armlets. "I'm off duty ladies and gentlecolts and I'm up for a face off if you are." He winked.

"Certainly is off duty, look at that inappropriate attire and makeup!" the second mare wrinkled her snout.

"I'm out of here." said the first. She went, and the rest followed.

"Y-you'd face them down for me?" I gave him wide eyes.

"For those eyes I would," he booped my nose with his nose.

"That's the sweetest—!" I stopped on my words when the hot pony wrapping his arms around me, on top of me on the floor, pressed his lips to mine.

Deeply and passionately kissing me, Wonder was able to part my lips and his tongue met mine in my mouth. He pushed back and forth, working his lips playfully over mine. I closed my hind legs around his waist, holding him closer to me as I let him kiss me. I lifted my face to better meet his, wanting every second of it. My heart wanted it too.

He broke away for a second, staring at me with wild passion in his beautiful eyes. I was breathing heavily, my chest heaving against his. I would so help him take off that pleather vest he wore. Faust, look at him, with his cheeks all cutely reddened only just so, his eyes clearly defined by the shading he used.

I pushed my nose to his. "Wh-why do you call me Cutie? Y-you called me Cutie to them and you do it all the time."

"You don't like it?" he rose a brow.

"N-no! I do, I'm only curious."

"Easy!" Wonder laughed before nuzzling my nose again. "A cutie is a clementine, a type of tiny orange," he added when he saw my confusion. "You're named Orange and you're also cute as fuck! Hence Cutie," he winked.

"Hehe, well thank you very—"

He touched my lips, "Shh, lemme kiss the colt I'm falling madly in love with." and he did. It was slow this time, like he wanted to savor every second. It was good, and I allowed for him. Luna, I'd fallen for him too! He held me tightly and began to nibble at my lip playfully. It felt so nice and I lifted my face. He suckled on it gently, giving me pleasure.

"Oh! Cutie," Wonder blushed harder than he had been this whole time. Looking down at me below him he bit his lip with a playful smile, "I think we would want to save this for the bedroom on a certain special day, wouldn't you?"

"Heh, s-save what," I flushed. I knew that he referred to me getting hard, but he was one to talk over there. The thought made my face flame.

He sat up, lending a hoof to help me get to my feet. "Come on, I think it's time we got that cannon checked and I help ya out with the decor."

"Right!" I bounced up.

"Happy Hearts and Hooves, Cutie."

"Happy Hearts and Hooves…Wonderbolt." _I just came up with that one!_ I laughed to myself.

 _ **(Chapter 29 set between 2/28/18 - 3/7/18 (Posted on 3/6/18 at 11:00am CT)**_

 _Happy Valentine's Day, even if it is 2 days late! Lol, I hope you guys enjoyed our second little holiday intermission here. I love Pumpkin Spice and her bits of fun! And that party cannon, yas! Gotta love Pre-War, and FoE references. PINKIE PIE_ IS _ALWAYS WATCHING. How do you know she's not watching right now? I'm sure she'd bake ya some cupcakes to celebrate Hearts and Hooves Day though ;) Boy did it get intense though! Who knew decorating could be this dramatic? And these military ponies with their rules. Jeez! I'm sure those mares were just accountants or something. Thinking they have the right to challenge Wonder when he's just trying to swoon his crush. Hehe. But oooh colt the kissing! I love describing intense, passionate love making, can ya tell? Whattaya think of the nicknames and such. Cutie being a cute play on words and of course OJ made a reference without realizing it! XD Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this romantic Intermission because it was well deserved for that special day. Hehe, love ya! *Kisses*)_

 **Brohoof /)**


	35. Chapter 29 Plan of Attack

**Chapter 29** Plan of Attack

We came galloping up on the encampment that Ashe Erza had made. Ponies milled about, soldiers all in heavy combat armor, waiting and prepared for battle. They were all a bit scary like that, but Lady Ashe was the scariest. She was a warrior queen! She snarled down at her troops, even standing taller and prouder than the majority of them.

"Guardian! I see you have finally joined us!" she grinned, but the moment she saw Combat Zone and Poptart, she returned to a scowl, "and have you apprehended some prisoners?"

"No," the Guardian stated smoothly. "These are some, rather reluctant on my part, allies."

"No kidding," said Combat, who was staring off to the side, detestment all over his face.

Erza grabbed the Guardian and dragged him off, "Did you forget this is the stallion who has exerted his every resource to oppose the Fort on every front? If he is even deserving of the word 'stallion'." she eyed the raider leader with distaste.

The Guardian eyed the powerful pink mare. She had her long luscious red mane done up in a tight ponytail that was draped over her shoulder. Then I noticed her horn as well, long and sharp. Even longer than my own horn! She must've been a powerful magic user. Hehe.

"We have a more powerful enemy now, a common enemy I say can bring us together at least this once. I think we'll deal with what comes after that when it's all over."

Erza frowned, staring at the two raiders from the corner of her eye. "Yes of course. You have a point. However, he's not gonna be happy."

"And why's that?"

"WHAT IS THIS!? HOW DARE YOU!"

"For one," said Erza with a smirk, "We've already managed to capture some of his own. We've taken them as prisoners you see."

"Release them at once you big brute!" Combat Zone snapped at Lady Ashe.

Pumpkin Spice snickered next to me, "Uh-oh! Somepony's an angry pony. But I don't think it was a good idea to call the great Erza a brute."

Erza reared up, a sword appearing out of the air. "Whoa," I breathed. The sword swung around before the mare caught it and pointed it directly at Combat Zone, "What did you call me?!" her commanding voice boomed all over camp and all activity seemed to cease as the soldiers turned to watch on the spectacle.

"Oh colt, did somepony decide to insult her?"

"Not a good idea."

Combat had already taken a few steps back, but he certainly wasn't one to back down from a fight, "That's right."

The air seemed to go scary dark around the scarlet maned mare. She glared death at Combat, "You are certainly one to talk, leader of raiders. You would cast blame on others that fall solely on your own shoulders. You have only to look at your hooves to find you have blood to clean from them."

A cold sweat droplet appeared next to Combat's face for a second. "Right…"

"Now," Erza said with a bright smile, her sword having disappeared suddenly, "you wanted me to release who now? All you have to do is ask nicely. We are allies after all, are we not?"

"Depends on how long I can stand ya," Combat rolled his eyes, but followed Erza to makeshift prison.

"Who is it?" I cocked my head.

Pumpkin was head butting me from behind, "Go find out silly, you've got legs!" she shoved me through the dust on the road until I started moving forward to follow the ponies.

Inside the makeshift corral, two raiders I recognized were shackled to the wood supports. A yellow unicorn and a green unicorn. "Tip and Rig!" I smiled a huge grin that went from ear to ear.

"That's right," said Combat.

"They're alright!" I exclaimed happily.

Combat gave me a strange look, "Of course they are. They're tough. I don't see why you care."

"But, I thought you sent them on a mission and were scared when they didn't come back," I pouted. "Doesn't matter though, because they're safe!" I beamed at him, both eyes closed.

"Yah!" Erza screamed as she cut the shackles in two with the powerful slash of a humongous sword and scaring the two ponies out of their skin.

"Jeez lady," said Rig.

"Try not to kill us!" Tip snapped.

"I think I'll decide whether to kill you or not. Now come!" she boasted, pointing her blade at the sky before letting it disappear in a flash of light, "We must decide on our plan of attack." she swept around on her heel, moving off briskly to a large war tent.

"I think that lady's got a screw loose," whined Rig. Combat rolled his eyes.

* * *

"So tell me Ol' Buck, who is the enemy?"

The Guardian nodded, and I watched him. He had invited me in on this meeting along with the rest of everypony, saying I would have an opportunity to learn. So I focused intently, my mouth hanging open, but I didn't realize that.

"His name is Circle of Ash, as we've been informed. An old opponent of Combat's who has returned. He threatens the sanctity of this city even more so than that of Combat's raiders."

"Hoof-soldiers," he corrected.

"Whatever you want to call them, they are still monsters," said Lady Erza. She shot an annoyed glance at the raider leader.

"Monster maybe," Combat stated, "but nopony deserved to die the way they did. You didn't see my warehouse, you didn't see how he burned them alive. Left their bodies for the ash and leaving nothing for the proper burial that I, as their leader, believe they should've had."

Erza put a hoof to her chin. "I think I see what you mean. I wouldn't wish that on anyone. However, why do you think a pest like you deserves proper burial?"

"I am their caretaker, you may not realize it, but I actually cared about my soldiers. I am devastated over the loss of nearly half my team, and worried about the others who may or may not be dead." Combat brought himself up. "You may see me as an unforgiving, uncaring beast, but deep down, I know that the only one who doesn't care is that demon! Circle of Ash…"

Erza shot the Guardian a look. "Looks like he's got a heart after all."

"Looks like it," he was shaking his head in response.

Erza sighed deeply, closing her eyes. Then she opened one and looked Combat in the eye, "So, it seems you have some sort of history with this Circle of Ash?"

"He's my enemy and that's that!" Combat snapped. "I refuse to say anything else about it."

"But he isn't just that is he?" I said quietly. I sat closest to the raider who'd once wanted to cut off my thingie. But I wasn't afraid, and I spoke so he would hear me.

"Oh? What was that?" Erza questioned Combat.

He snarled at me but responded to the mare, "He used to be my friend."

"A friend? You want us in between you and some feud?" the Guardian was gruff.

"You know it's not some simple feud, asshole! You know nothing about Circle of Ash." Combat was cold.

"So tell us what you know about him." said the Guardian. "We can't fight an enemy we know nothing about."

"Besides," said Erza, "how do we know you aren't just using us towards your own agenda?"

I glanced between the three of them. Combat was standing stiff, looking angry and determined. The Guardian had a thoughtful expression and Erza was observing Combat carefully. I bit my lip, but I had something to say, and it had to get out. "I saw it!" I burst out. I couldn't help it.

"You saw what?" Erza turned her burning attention on me. I cowered back for a second, but I had to say it. Combat was glaring at me, but he couldn't know what I had to say.

"C-Combat…he was best friends with Circle of Ash, but Circle went against him. And Circle is pretty scary…he has a powerful magic I've never even seen before."

"You saw this in that memory orb, Puppydog?" the Guardian asked me.

"I-It was scary!" I nodded.

"He's a demon!" Combat shouted, "And if we don't stop him, we're all screwed." with that, he shot up and left the tent. Erza and the Guardian gave each other a look.

"Combat! Wait!" I shot up and ran after him. He was moving toward the edge of the camp, reaching a fence with a gate that was blasted of its hinges. The rest of the fence was missing. He stopped to survey the surrounding area, a barren road that led to a residential area a little ways off.

He stopped so suddenly that I slammed into him and the two of us went rolling into the street on the other side of the fence. I ended up on top of him, staring straight down into his eyes. He smirked, "Why hey there filly, never expected to find ya getting the best of me like this."

I jumped backward in an instant, like a frightened cat. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

"Don't be," he eyed me greedily for a moment, then shook his head and turned away. "What is wrong with me?!" he stroked his forehead.

"What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?!" he burst, then began laughing, building up to a roar. "What's wrong? I lost everything. I thought I could best him, but that was a mistake."

"What happened to the pony that could command that entire army of hoof-soldiers?" I asked him slowly, not knowing how I found the words, but I did. I bit my lip as I waited for him to answer.

"Are you questioning my integrity?"

"I don't think I can question that when I don't even know what that means." I blushed, looking away from the stallion.

"Ha! The filly is a bit undereducated! Ain't we all. But hey, didn't you come from a Stable?"

"I-I did, but I don't get what that has to do with anything." I pouted at him and planted my hoof.

"Usually they got a great school system down there. You ain't the first pony to emerge from a Stable in this wild wasteland."

"I guess my Stable is different then!" I snapped.

"Feisty!" Combat laughed, staring at me out of the corner of his eye.

I gritted my teeth, "You know what, I thought I could help you, but I guess I was wrong."

"Help me with what?" Combat laughed.

"Realize that you're strong enough to fight Circle." I barked. I don't know why I cared enough, but I think I saw something in him I hadn't seen before. "I saw your memories back at the shop. How you withstood a barrage of magic from that scary stallion."

"Yeah? But I had a whole team of ponies who stood by me."

"If you get strength from others then I think you'll find you've come to the right place," I stood up straighter as I stepped to the side, showing the camp off behind me. Combat turned to look, turning full circle and coming face to face with just how great the Fort really was. "Maybe we aren't ruthless or scary like raiders, and maybe you think you should've just been fighting us all this time, but at least we have loyalty, and compassion, and joy." the Guardian was standing beside Erza by the war tent, Wonder had just come up down the middle of the camp, stopping to look in my direction, and Pumpkin was bouncing around from the opposite side, making some soldiers laugh. "And then we have me. Maybe I don't know exactly who I am yet," I glanced down at my blank flank, "but I know who I wanna be."

A wind rustled through my mane, blowing it toward my cheek, and it picked at Combat's loose coat that he had been wearing over his armor. It swept at the dust, blowing it away. I smiled at Combat and he nodded back at me.

Back in the camp, Erza made eye contact with the Guardian, "Hmm," she bowed her head approvingly in my direction, "What are you teaching that colt?"

"I'm teaching him well, I can see that." the Guardian stood up, letting the wind sweep over him, blowing across his thick blue mane.

"You must be proud." said the Colonel.

"The Puppydog has been through a lot. He's done well."

Pumpkin Spice bounced toward them, "He certainly has! Just look at how well kempt that mane is after being through tartarus and back!" she giggled.

Wonder laughed, "Always one to see what nopony else is talking about."

"Hey!" Pumpkin exclaimed, "His mane relates to the conversation!" she whipped around, looking between the Colonel and the Guardian and back to the field medic. "Doesn't it?" she stook out a lip, "I thought so at least."

Erza and Buck began laughing together, and as Combat Zone and I approached, we all started laughing together. "You guys are something else," said the raider leader with a chuckle.

Wonder touched my hoof, a sparkle in his eye, "Look at that, it's no wonder why I'm falling in love with you."

My eyes widened, "I-In love! With m-me?" I stammered, my entire face going hot.

"Of course, how could I not, when you're that adorable?" Wonder winked at me, "I like making cute colts blush."

"You th-think I'm cute?" I think my face must've been red as a cherry by now.

"Ooh! He looooves you," Pumpkin giggled.

"Eep!" I gasped.

Combat Zone snorted, "Alright, enough of this, I'm outta here."

"Where are you going Combat?" I asked him.

He glanced over his shoulder at me. "I gotta speak to Tip and Rig. They've got certain binding magic that when they put those horns together, can work wonders."

"What do you plan to do with their magic?" Erza asked him, getting up to follow.

"I plan to locate what remaining hoof-soldiers I have. I'm blowing a war horn."

"Wait a second!" the color drained from her face, a shadow over her eyes, "That won't give away our position, will it?"

"Of course not!" Combat laughed, "Only my hoof-soldiers can hear it."

"We're gonna need all the help we can get, don't ya think?" the Guardian grinned at the Colonel.

Now Lady Ashe had a cold sweat, "I can't refute that." she turned to Combat, "Gather your forces and join with us on the battlefield. It's a good plan of attack if I do say so."

"And what of our strategy?" the Guardian followed after Erza. She changed direction, heading into the war tent.

"I plan to cast a locator spell. If Circle of Ash is as adept in magic as previously stated, I am determined I'll be able to find such an abundance of magic using a magic tracking spell."

"Great, and by the time we're done, we'll have reinforcements from Combat and a location on our target. Let's get to it then." the two disappeared into the tent.

"Wonder," I said to him, turning toward him. The sun in the sky was beginning to set, and it cast a pinkish-orange glow the two of us.

He turned to me with a sideways smile, "Yeah, Cutie?"

"I um…I think you're cute too!" I ran at him with my eyes closed, skidded to a halt beside him, pecked a kiss on his cheek, then ran out of courage and spun around to run away.

Wonder put a hoof to his slowly pinkening cheeks, "Heh…" He then called to me, "Have a goodnight, OJ!"

"Goodnight!"

 _ **(Chapter 30 set for 3/16/18 (posted 3/27/18 at 9:30am CT)**_

 _I'm back cuties! I think we've got ourselves a fun little chapter here. Here we have a new comer who you'd think would be an instant outcast. But OJ is a caring soul and he is easily able to bring everypony together. SOOO CUTE ^^ And hehe, lookie, Wonder is finally admitting he has a crush on our Cutie . I think this was a nice light hearted chapter that mixed seriousness with a relaxing mood that's coming right before a major battle. I think that's important. We have friends developing a better bond. So with that, I look forward to next chapter! Love ya :D)_

 **Brohoof! /)**


	36. Chapter 30 Long Day

**Chapter 30** Long Day

When the sun lifted over the horizon the next morning, it was not bright. I could tell the moment I blinked into the dawn that there was something off about today. There were low clouds in the sky, and the sunlight looked dim. I took a few steps out of the tent I had slept in, putting a hoof to my forehead to cover my eyes as I looked up at the sky.

"I have a feeling…" I said aloud.

Wonder had just krept outside as well, "That tonight's not gonna be a good night." he glanced at me.

"I sense a strange magic on the air." Erza had come to the center of the row of tents, staring at the horizon.

"The clouds are centering over the city, that way!" Pumpkin was pointing toward central Bittsberg. "Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!" she was bouncing up and down.

"It's bound to be Circle of Ash," said Combat Zone. "If we don't do something quick, we'll lose any chance of getting Bittsberg back."

"You have a point." said Erza. "However, we must wait for our scouts to return."

I sat down in the dust, watching my friends, old and new, rattle on about the whole thing. None of them seemed to know what to decide. The ground beneath me was cold, dry and hard. It honestly hurt to sit on, and I didn't think I could sit here and do nothing any longer. So I stood up. I don't know what got in my head, but I turned tail and began running toward the ominous clouds. It had begun to rain.

"OJ!" Wonder gasped.

"What is he doing?!" somepony else yelled in surprise.

The Guardian was calling for me as well. I don't think they realized I was heading straight into the heart of the city, ready to do something, anything—I was jerked back when somepony bit down on my tail, stopping me in my tracks. It was Poptart, he'd been sitting at the edge of the camp. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I'm going to fight the big bad meanie." I pouted. A few rain droplets hit me on the nose. "Eep!"

"Right. Without a plan? Without any friends or backup? You even left behind your power saddle, the only thing giving you a fighting chance in the first place." Poptart shook his head.

Erza stopped in front of us, by her side was the Guardian, and my other friends. "The small raider pony may be right about one thing," she stated, "going out alone is the wrong thing to do. But our fighting chance doesn't come from fancy armor or powerful guns." she stared down the ex-raider, "It comes from the strength we get from our friends. OJ, you should have learned by now, with ponies like the Guardian by your side, with the friends you care about fighting with you, nothing can stop you."

I glanced at the ponies gathered here, Pumpkin Spice who had joined us out of the blue when she should've stayed at the Bridge with the General. Yet, she had defied all odds. She smiled at me, "I couldn't have done it without my friends with me you know! I'd be a goner in that city all by myself!"

I glanced from her to Wonder, "I know…I don't know what I was thinking. I was just in a rush."

"Why don't we take a moment to make a plan!" Erza said. "Then we will know what to do from here." Most of the ponies dispersed, but Wonder was one of the few who stayed behind.

"OJ, there's something about the city isn't there?"

I craned my neck, looking over my shoulder, "There always has been Wonder."

Wonder poked me on the shoulder, his face close to mine. I glanced up into his big sparkling eyes, like gems. "It's Blitzfire isn't it?"

"I—!" I choked on words.

"Listen kid," said Poptart, "I heard stories of the two of you. My favorite was that blasted high school! How you killed that timber-claw," he laughed. "But this isn't the Bittsberg you knew. Something has changed about the ashlings since Combat last saw them too. I wasn't around back then, but from Combat's face every time you ponies talk about taking on the Circle. I know the city has changed."

"In such a short amount of time too," Wonder sighed.

I moved my face up, my nose bumping his. "Eep!" I gasped, falling backward, my backside slamming into the compacted ground. "S-sorry!"

Wonder held a hoof up to his snout, possibly trying to hide a blush, "Cutie," he winked. He turned around and went back into the camp.

It was sometime later when Ashe Erza burst from the war tent in full battle armor fit for an alicorn. It had wisps of metal that seemed to smoke off of it and almost disappear into a spectral plane, however, it was obvious that was impossible. Right? Wonder and I had been playing a game of marbles with a couple of soldiers when she came bursting forth, and side-by-side, we fawned, "Lady Ashe!"

"So beautiful!" I whispered.

"The Circle have attacked us, and stole all we hold dear. Now we must reclaim what was once ours!" she called to the sky, holding a sword high that matched her armor. The soldiers in the camp stomped their hooves, cheering. "With help from the Guardian, I have devised our attack strategy." another cheer lifted, then the camp went still, complete focus on the Colonel.

The Guardian and Pumpkin emerged from the tent. The Guardian passed a look over the camp. "We are splitting our group into many smaller battalions."

Pumpkin jumped into the air, "I'd say it's like picking through the city with a fine tooth comb, but that's because I'm a mane stylist." she giggled into her hooves.

"We have the details of your assignments listed here," the Guardian held up some documents. "Erza will be in charge of the first few groups heading straight for the compound we believe the storm is centered on, I will be in charge of the team circling around."

Pumpkin Spice popped up next to me, "and youuuuu, the Puppydog, gets to choose who _you_ go _oooo_ with. Hehe," then she was next to the war council again.

"Wait what?" I stepped forward, a bit confused.

"Puppydog," said the Guardian, "we've decided to give you a bit more independence on this."

The Colonel nodded to me, "It was clear to me when you rushed off this morning that we can't control you like a child. You need room to grow, and with that room comes responsibility."

"So," the Guardian brought himself up, "I've drawn out two teams that could work the best for you. You can go with Wonder and Pumpkin and a couple of other soldiers," Wonder and Pumpkin smiled toward me, to my left.

"Or," said Erza, gesturing to the right, "you could join some soldiers with Combat, Poptart and the Twin Mages, Tip and Rig. One option you join me heading for the compound," in the direction she'd pointed, where the raiders stood, Combat nodded, indicating he would be heading with her group.

"The other option is with me," said the Guardian, "circling around to take them by surprise."

I had a huge choice in front of me, and I glanced down at my legs, spotting my Pip-Buck. "I-I…"

"Whatever you choose, we'll still be by your side Cutie," said Wonder with a smile.

I looked over to Poptart, who nodded in my direction, "Hey kid, if it wasn't for you, I don't think I would've realized my true mission. So you're fine going off with your friends. I'll find my way just fine."

That made me smile, but I froze when I glanced back at the Guardian. My Guardian. "But why would you want me to go by myself?"

"You won't be alone OJ," he told me, "If you go off with Wonder and Pumpkin Spice, I'll only be a few blocks and a radio tap away, plus you'll learn responsibility of being team leader."

"Well I say if he goes off with Combat Zone and his, he learns observational skills that are essential in any battle." said Erza.

"Right, keeping an eye on our mutual allies." the Guardian laughed. I saw Combat roll his eyes and I smiled at him. He was so taken aback by my kind look that the only thing he could think to do was stick his tongue out at me. I laughed loudly then.

"Okay!" I wiped a tear away from the laughter, "I get it then! And I think I understand too, about friends." I looked at Wonder and gushed at him, "I'm gonna go with you guys, I can't be afraid of going the long way, and I gotta have faith in the ex-raiders."

"I appreciate that," said Poptart.

"Who ever said we were ex-raiders?" said Combat with a snarl. "I'm taking this city back."

"No!" said Erza boastfully, " _We_ are taking this city back, and mark my words, you have seen the last of your raider days, whether by this blade, or by retribution."

We all laughed as we began our separate journeys for the compound. Into the city we went.

 _ **(Chapter 31 set for 4/4/18 at 8:30am CT**_

 _This chapter is much shorter than most of the others before it, but I think it is still very impactful. Orange Juice learns a very important lesson here, by finally coming to a realization that he'd already learned it throughout the course of the story. He's learned the importance of the strength his friends have given him, and the strength they will still continue to give him throughout the upcoming battles, no matter which direction he chooses. Although I must admit, I have been inspired lately by an anime I'm watching, Fairytale. The characters in the anime have a very strong connection through the bonds of their friendship._

 _Of course, we couldn't avoid mentioning Ravager Blitzfire once again in this story. It's kinda like a tv show, or anime. You get an arc where they are a main character for a bit, but eventually they gotta go, but there'll be mention of them later on too. To be honest, I have been trying to avoid even mentioning his name since he left the story back in chapter 21. But it's almost 10 chapters later, and you kinda gotta look back on certain things. Especially when OJ is surrounded by reminders of him._

 _Anyway, this chapter marks another milestone in OJ's character development. And at the end of this arc, he'll probably have undergone many more bits of development. He's already changed so much since the beginning too! I think looking at him now, he's getting closer and closer to the Puppydog I think Yolo imagined, the one who fights alongside the Guardian in the final stages of his story, Stable 28. This is getting exciting, and OJ is becoming that strong individual we've all known he can be._

 _As a sidenote, I wanna mention that the title of this chapter comes from a lyric in the song See You Again. "It's been a long day, without you, my friend..."_

 _So! Let's look forward to the future chapters, as I think this story may draw to a close as does Stable 28. I cannot wait to see what happens! Love ya guys! Thank you ^^ )_

 **Brohoof! /)**


	37. Chapter 31 Luck of the Draw

**Chapter 31** Luck of the Draw

Orange Juice

I had chosen to go with my friends, and seeing the look on Poptart's face as we had left camp earlier, I think he had appreciated the faith I'd shown in him. Well that was just the way the Fort did things! He had become my friend, and we didn't turn our backs on a friend. I couldn't have chosen to go with them because that would have meant I didn't trust them. He was our friend now, so that meant treating him that way.

I knew the Guardian didn't reciprocate those thoughts. He would probably take them out if they even thought about going raider pony again. But I knew that they wouldn't, and I also knew that I could be the one to change the Guardian's mind. I would convince him, just like I always did.

Now we had a task to focus on. Our groups had all split off a couple hours ago. I had a radio in my power saddle, and I knew that the Guardian was close by, but it felt like a million miles.

The city itself felt dead. It was quiet, and so completely different than when I had gone through it so many weeks ago. Even a month ago, when I had first left the Stable, it had been lively in its own way. Now it was just dead silence. It was scary and chilling. All around the black husks of old skyscrapers loomed up into the cloudy sky. Shadows had fallen over everything, making the air cold.

Shivering, I realized just how cold it was. The power saddle had insulated heating, but the cold was pressing. I couldn't turn the heat high enough to keep it at bay. I wish I had a real saddle! It would keep me warmer than this hunk of metal! I pouted.

It had sprinkled earlier, and now I was waiting for it to rain. I was waiting in dread though, because with a heavy rainstorm came thunder and lightning, and I hated thunder and lightning! It was like the sky was angry at me! I kept glancing up as though to make sure it wasn't raining.

"Don't be a worry wart!" Pumpkin Spice came bouncing along next to me to cheer me up. I smiled gratefully at her.

"I just really don't like thunder."

Pumpkin waved me off, "Oh, it's not gonna be that kinda rain storm! Silly!" she stuck her tongue out at me.

"How can you tell?" I looked at the sky again, trying to see what she meant.

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise!" she screeched, and I laughed because I had no idea what she was talking about. She bolted off, to talk to one of the accompanying soldiers in our group.

"She's a wild one," Wonder smirked, and I glanced over my shoulder at him.

"I'm not exactly sure how she's gonna fight." I tilted my head, observing the pilot pony.

"Oh, don't forget Orange Juice, she has her ways." Wonder laughed, and as he came up next to me, he bumped hips with me.

"Oh hush Wonderbolt," I blushed at him. "You're making me blush."

"I like making cute colts blush," he winked.

Good thing I had on my power saddle, otherwise he would've seen my face turn from an orange to an apple.

Next thing I knew, we were coming up on a large circular building. " _Ok, listen up soldiers,"_ said the Guardian over the radio, " _this is just one leg of our journey. Welcome to the Bittsberg Public Library."_

* * *

" _Once we're inside, I want everypony to fan out. This building is large. We have reason to believe there's a small outpost of ashlings within so take caution. We need to take out any enemies within, so fire at will."_ were the instructions the Guardian gave.

"Who's ready for this?" I asked with a shaky voice.

Pumpkin Spice shot into the air in front of me, as though she'd been fired from a cannon, "I was born ready!"

"You can say that again," said Wonder. The other two soldiers in our group nodded affirmative.

"Then I'm ready too!" I nodded, and together, we marched toward the library.

We had come across a little side entrance, but upon trying the handle, we found the door was locked. Good thing we had a demolitions expert on our team. He was a unicorn stallion, and when he placed the device he tapped his horn to it. It must be magical! Then he gestured for us all to get back, and moved back himself. We took cover behind some broken down generators at the rear of the lot, then watched as a flare from the unicorn's horn caused the device to trigger and explode, blowing the door off its hinges.

"Whoa!" I gasped, "That was so freaking awesome!" I cheered.

"Damn straight," said the unicorn.

Wonder smirked over his shoulder as he was the first one in, "We'll just call on you when we need you to light something up."

"Nothing special," he shrugged.

Wonder disappeared into the building. Pumpkin Spice was next to follow, then me, and the two soldiers on our tail. They would cover our flanks. Inside it was dark and gloomy. The air felt even colder in here than it did outside. So much for the power saddle's insulation. Maybe it was broken, I mean it was old.

"Colt, is that air permeating. It's like they fixed the AC!" Pumpkin Spice was shivering, her whole body shaking, and even her goggles vibrating.

The further in we went the darker it got. Our hoofsteps echoed off the thick white walls. I was getting creeped out, but I knew I had to be brave. I took in a deep breath as we rounded the next corner, coming to a door. _Be brave OJ, you're safe with your friends._ I told myself. But I think I remembered another time I had to be brave, and the darkness there had been just as deep.

* * *

 _The sound of the door to my cell sliding open with a hiss of air awoke me. My eyes focused on the cold gray ceiling above me. Just then, my blanket, as thin as it was, was stripped from me. The cold air surrounded me in an embrace that I wasn't ready for. I rolled over to come face to face with a red mare. I knew her face, and it was too many times that I had to see it. I winced, trying not to whimper._

 _"Rise and shine buck." she snipped. "I got something for ya, and I think you're gonna like it." she smirked._

 _"Come on, I-I just woke up!" I gasped. "I'm tired! 5 more minutes!" I complained._

 _"What kinda little kid are ya!? Listen here colt, I ain't your mom, and if I have to tell you twice you're not gonna like what I do to ya!" Tide snapped at me. She had bark to her bite. I didn't wanna end up seeing her bite._

 _"Yes ma'am! S-sorry ma'am!" I shot up, and fumbled to get out of bed. My struggle caused me to trip as I got up and I fell face forward straight into Tide herself! "Oh no!"_

 _I landed on top of her and her face was twisted in anger, "What in Stable 28 do you think you're doing? Get your backside of a donkey off me!"_

 _"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," I repeated, this time cowering as she stood over me. But she surprised me when she smiled._

 _Sighing she said, "Colt, you're fine. Tonight's special. You know why?"_

 _"Nuh-uh," I gulped._

 _"I'll tell you, but why don't you come with me first?" she looked evil as she left the room smiling. The door remained open._

 _"A-am I on queue?" I called into the corridor, but when I peered outside my cell, nopony was around. I looked back and forth, checking the hall for guards. But this was Tide we were talking about._

 _I glanced up at a camera that was watching me closely, a red light in its eye blinking. "Well hey there mister eyeball!" I beamed up at it. "I think today's a special day!" it would've asked me why if it had had a mouth, I just know it! "Oh, well, I don't actually know why it's special mister eyeball. Except Miss Tide asked me to come with her, so I gotta go now!" I giggled to myself as I waved bye-bye to the camera, then galloped off in the direction I thought the red devil mare had gone._

 _I reached a doorway and a voice in my Pip-Buck stated, "Access granted." that was strange. But I bet Tide had gone this way! Inside the access tunnel, the lights were dim. The tunnel was long, and led straight away. I trotted, keeping my head held high. I knew this was Tide in question, so I'm not sure why I galloped so freely to my doom, but I knew I had to be brave. I always was._

 _"Tide? You there? I'm not sure where you went!" I called, one hoof to my mouth. I put my hoof down on the icy flooring, stopping and glancing around. The door leading to the cell block had closed, and the light shone red. It was super far away, and I'm not certain, but I think red meant it was locked._

 _"Hey, get a move on! I don't got all day!" yelled a certain mare, from way up ahead. It seemed that the hallway twisted up ahead, but I couldn't tell if that was the shadows playing tricks on me, or if it actually curved rightward._

 _"Silly shadows," I giggled, "tricks are for kids! Can't you just point me in the right direction?" Almost immediately the lights snapped on, making a loud banging echo along the metal walk. My heart skipped a beat, and my smile wavered, "Um, I'm not sure I expected you to answer…"_

 _I shook myself off, 'Be brave,' I told myself once again. The further I went, however, the more prominently I could feel my heart pound against my chest. "Tide?!" I called._

 _"Hey! Shove off!" I heard a voice. I glanced in the direction I'd heard it come from, a small side corridor. I think the voice belonged to a stallion._

 _"What's it to you? You're mine, beneath me, so you have to do what I say."_

 _"Not right here, leave me alone!" I heard a cry from him._

 _"Listen to your masters you piece of manure!" shouted a second mare, her voice more shrill._

 _I took a step toward the corridor. "UP!" snapped Tide, suddenly right next to me. I jumped around, facing her. "What in tartarus do you think you're doing now?"_

 _"I-I…"_

 _"We're out in the middle of the hallway! Anypony could find us here! Come on…!" the stallion sounded desperate._

 _"I have to help him!" I cried, spinning on my hooves and running for it. 'Be brave, be brave!' I repeated to myself, trying to get it clear in my head. Tide behind me had tried to snap her teeth at my tail, but she'd missed._

 _"Get your ass back here! You're asking for it!"_

 _"I know…" I had no idea what I was thinking, but I knew I didn't like hearing that stallion cry like that. I ran full speed ahead until I came to two mares, beating on one lonely stallion._

 _He looked up at me. On the floor, he lay covered in bruises from where the mares were kicking on him. He was crying now, and looked at me with pleading eyes._

 _"What do you want?" snapped the first mare, a light pink, almost white._

 _"I-I…" I couldn't break eye contact with the poor stallion. "Leave him alone!" I yelled._

 _"What the hell?" snapped the blue mare, her horn sharp as a knife. "Why don't you go back to whoever queued you, or we'll give you the beat down too."_

 _I closed my eyes tight, gritting my teeth, "I. Said. Leave. Him. Alone!" I don't know where I summoned up the courage, but with each word, I took one hard step forward._

 _"Oh yeah? Or what? We'll have you whipped." said the pink mare._

 _"Yeah! By Tide, too," said the blue one._

 _"Ho-ly SHIT." came the angry burst from said Tide. "Who the hell do you think you are?" at first I thought she was talking to me, then when she shoved past me I realized with a start that she was in fact talking to the two mares. "You would use my name to threaten MY queue? How dare you! And I'm taking him to the bucking dance tonight. You pieces of trash!"_

 _I widened my eyes at the same time as the two mares did. "T-T-Tide!" the first gasped with a stammer._

 _"We didn't realize you were along," the second took a step back._

 _Tide looked down at the stallion on the floor, "Oh colt." she shook her head, bearing a creased grin, "You attacked this stallion?"_

 _"Um, yes," said the pinkish white mare. "Isn't that okay? He disobeyed us."_

 _"Normally, I'd be fine with it. But as the dance is tonight, I think it's disgusting. You should be getting this guy all spruced up so you can make yourselves look better, instead, you've used him to his last drop and tossed him out. And guess what? Your bucking queue has expired, meaning you've got nopony to take with you tonight. Now you've done it!"_

 _I didn't get it. Tide was never this worked up, especially over one of us. And I had especially expected her to lash out at me, not the mares. What was so important about this dance, and why was she acting so strange?_

 _"Hey Tide? Are you feeling okay?"_

 _"SCRAM! BEFORE I SCRAMBLE YOU!"_

 _"Oh shit, run!" said the blue mare and in a rush, both mares were gone._

 _"Damn…" Tide sighed. She glanced down at the hurt stallion. "Listen bub, that was a one time thing. Especially since you'll be decommissioned before the next dance for sure. I'm all for kinks and getting it on in a fun place like out here. But today? No bucking way! They crossed a line." she looked around. Then her eyes landed on me. She took a step toward me and I immediately through up a hoof to deflect a blow from her. But instead she put something in my hoof. "Here kid, give it to him. Say it's from you." she spoke quietly so he couldn't here, then she glanced over her shoulder at him._

 _"Oh! O-Okay," I nodded vigorously before I handed the health potion bottle to him. "H-hey, I brought this for you."_

 _"W-why'd you come for me?" he gasped, choking down the liquid._

 _"Because you were hurting and it isn't fair!" I pouted._

 _"Life isn't fair," said Tide, "but today's too important to mess up. Now come on. Before I lose my patience. We've wasted way too much time already._

 _"Ok!" I nodded, and was about to bound after her when I heard the stallion say something. I turned to him._

 _"Sheesh, am I lucky." he tried to smile. He had pretty green eyes, that matched his beautiful green coat._

 _"Bye Green!" I giggled, then rushed off._

* * *

"I think today's gonna be more than bravery," I glanced around, "but together, we have all the luck we need." I don't know why I had thought of it, but as friends, I knew we were stronger together. I could be braver around them.

"Luck? What's luck got to do with anything?" Pumpkin Spice cocked her head.

That's when Wonder opened a door, "Inner Atrium," he read a sign as he crossed the threshold. We all went in after him, coming onto a balcony.

I rushed over to the railing, looking into the room. Up above was a glass ceiling, and way way down below was a shiny marble floor. It depicted the image of two mares reaching for the sky, between them, a globe. I wonder what it was all about.

That's when I noticed that the floor was thick with shadows, and in the center of the room stood two ponies, both wearing dark cloaks. The far wall was the center of their attention, where tall bookcases could be seen. One held a book in front of himself, but the book was afloat on dark colored energy. The shadows themselves!

At the sound of the door shutting, the free cloaked figure turned to us. He whispered to his companion, then lowered his hood, "Well, well, well, aren't we lucky?"

"Lucky?" Pumpkin Spice cocked her head again, "Seriously, what does luck have to do with anything?!"

I put my forehooves up on the rail, "Who are you?!" I called down to them.

"Who are we?" the one carrying the book glanced over to his partner. Making eye contact with me, he lowered his hood. A shaggy black mane fell out, one eye covered by his bangs. The eye we could see was a dark red in color, like blood. The first stallion had a spiky blonde mane, his eyes a deep blue. Both were unicorns with tall curved horns.

"My name is Stingray," said the white haired unicorn. There was a smile on Stingray's face. He looked immensely pleased.

"And I Rogue," stated the black haired unicorn. "We are the Twin Dragons of the Circle of Ash." he had his eyes narrowed, a dark look on his face.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" I called down to Stingray and Rogue. "What book is that?" I smiled down at the two.

"Why do you think we should tell you that?! Do you think I'm stupid?" yelled Stingray. "Funny!"

"Dragons?" Pumpkin laughed, "But dragons have wings!"

"On the contrary, we are dragon slayers," said Rogue.

"But are dragons even real?" I asked him.

"Of COURSE they are!" Pumpkin laughed even harder, "Don't be silly OJ!"

"Not a single pony has seen em though! Ever!" said Wonder.

"I have," said Stingray. "I've killed one."

"Yeah right," Pumpkin Spice guffawed, almost like she was gonna burst. Then to my complete surprise she actually did! Into a confetti bomb, the strands of paper and glitter flying everywhere.

"Do you wanna taste of our power, to prove it to ya?!" yelled Stingray.

"Ha! Go for it!" said Pumpkin Spice, who was standing right next to me. "Should be a piece of cake!" I noticed she was actually eating a piece of cake.

"Where did you get that?" I asked, pointing at it.

"Hey, Pumpkin, are you sure it's a good idea to tell them it'd be easy to take us out?" Wonder asked her.

"No, why do you ask?" she was licking frosting from her hoof.

"Well, ya know, kuz I think we can take em on just fine." he winked at her.

"Big talk, coming from a small pony."

"Pfft," Wonder chuckled, "I'm sure I'm way bigger than you." he planted a hoof on the floor, and I noticed the spikes he liked to wear.

"Hehe," I giggled.

"Good catch OJ, not sure you would've caught my drift there," Wonder winked at me.

"Your drift?"

Pumpkin slid up between the two of us, " _Iiiii_ don't think he did."

"Enough talk!" Rogue yelled. "Conversion of darkness!" Suddenly the shadows convulsed on him, billowing up in a giant blob around his form. He was lifted up, becoming a humongous shadow version of himself, and standing as tall as this balcony.

"Oh colt," I gulped, looking up at him.

"We've gotta a pony in power saddling, a gunman, a demolitions expert and a field medic!" yelled Pumpkin Spice.

"What about you?" Stingray was suddenly atop the balcony, balancing on a railing, his cloak billowing before him, before coming to rest.

"Oh, you know," said Pumpkin Spice, "I'm just a mane stylist." she smiled at him.

He looked confused, "Just a mane stylist?"

"Yeah! A mane stylist with a bag full of cherry bombs!" she tore open a sack, reaching inside and tossing something at the unicorn. It exploded in his face, and as he fell backward, I thought he would hit the ground. That had to of killed him. However, I watched as he did a flip in the air, landing perfectly on his feet.

"Wow, you'd think red flames that tart would at least make a pony blink…" I think Pumpkin Spice was the only pony blinking right now.

* * *

Guardian

I glanced around, passing yet another row of books. I'm not sure what had just happened, but my entire team had just disappeared on me. "Roseanne! Lockwood! Where in Equestria did you disappear to?!" I called into the bookshelves.

" _They aren't here you know,"_ said a silvery slick voice, echoing through the shelves and straight into my mind. What in the world?

"Show yourself!" I snapped, and I instantly pulled out a laser rifle. It was a high caliber, modded gun, that I'd spent countless hours on. It's name was Piercer.

" _You're ability to requip is impressive, but, I've seen better."_

"Ha! That's not my only ability." I spun around, and as my hooves crashed to the ground, my armor clanged at the same moment I pulled the trigger. A mare was standing before me, wearing a long dress that conformed to her body, and slitted near her rear to allow for mobility.

A spell was triggered, a ripple in the air, and the bolt from my rifle passed right through her. That's when I noticed she was a unicorn. A gray unicorn with a long flowing mane, as deep and blue as a lake. Her dress was to match, and it was speckled like a thousand white stars in the night sky.

"Meet your doom stallion, my name is Missy."

"You're funny!" I blasted her again, but her horn glowed, and the laser beam passed right through her.

"That's not gonna work." she vanished, and suddenly from behind I was slammed into with a force that sent me flying into a nearby bookshelf. Books fell around me.

"How in tartarus are you able to do that?" I fired at her, trying to put a few more bolts in her, but nothing hit. "How'd I end up with somepony I can't even shoot?!" I yelled.

She shrugged as she came closer to me, "That's just the luck of the draw I suppose." then she smiled a dark and sickly sweet smile.

"Fine!" I yelled as I reached behind me. "I guess I have one more trick up my sleeve."

 _ **(Chapter 32 set for 4/10/18 at 8:15pm CT**_

 _Wow! What a hefty chapter. Prepare yourself for action, because there's gonna be a ton of it! Cherry Bomb! XD_

 _First thing I wanna touch on is OJ's flashback. I made a tribute to a certain pony, and if you've read Stable 28 there's no way you could've missed it. That's right, it was Lucky Charm, better known as Green for the better part of the story. Sooo, it may seem OJ might have inspired Green's name, way long ago in his past. Gah, such a sad story, but if you wanna know more and haven't read The Incident of Stable 28, get to it! I highly recommend it ;)_

 _Now then, Pumpkin Spice, amiright? Lmao! She may be a mane stylist back home, but oh baby does she have the goods. She can put up a fight, just you wait. She doesn't collect Nipony candy for nothing, but that's not all she has collected in her lifetime. I'll have different moves of hers introduced as this goes on. It's exciting!_

 _I can't wait to show off the latest battle scenes, I have some intense action in the works. But for now, we'll just have to wait and see :D Love ya guys!)_

 **Brohoof! /)**


	38. Chapter 32 Cherry Bomb!

**Chapter 32** Cherry Bomb!

Orange Juice

 _Back in Tide's quarters, I was standing awkwardly in the main foyer while Tide was muttering angrily to herself in the other room. I could hear the ruffles of light things being tossed about, possibly clothes as they hit the floor. "No, no, no! This won't do at all! It'll clash. It won't work…that'll blend right in. Ew! I've got to have something good in here." I just stood there wondering what the heck was going on. At least we weren't playing with her toys._

 _I had just sat on one of the couches when she finally emerged from the bedroom, a plaid orange and brown sweater held up in one hoof. "This'll do perfectly!" she tossed it at me. "Here, put on this turtleneck. The autumn colors will look great on you."_

 _I untangled myself from the mess and I glanced at Tide in puzzlement, "What's it for?"_

 _"You'll find out, now won't you?" she spat. "Just do what I say."_

 _"O-okay," I nodded, then quickly began to force it on. I had never actually worn something like this before. "Uh…" I was kinda stuck. My horn was poking into one area of it, my head shoved into a tiny hole that I couldn't find the end of, and my arm stuck out a droopy end._

 _"How in the Stable did you manage to get into it like that?" Tide sighed, exasperated. "Here, I guess I'll have to help you. Stallions really are stupid."_

 _After she helped me, she brought me to a mirror in the bathroom. "Don't you just look handsome as fuck?" she smiled. The turtleneck was tight, but felt snug and warm. The collar was almost all the way up my neck, and the arms went all the way down. It hugged my curves tightly._

 _Tide smacked me on the flank, "Now come on, we've got a party to attend!"_

* * *

The smoke from Pumpkin's cherry bomb had just cleared and Stingray fell backward through the air, sailing to the floor below. But midair he flipped back, and when he reached the lower level, he landed on his feet.

"It's gonna take more than that to scathe me!" he laughed at us.

"Now," said Rogue, who was a humongous shadow that stood as tall as the balcony, "Why don't we see how puny you ponies really are." he lifted a hoof, smashing it into the rail, crushing it to nothing.

Swiping across the balcony, he shoved our gunman and demolitions expert to the side. Wonder just barely managed to dodge, jumping up and landing on the raider's hoof before kicking off again and landing on the other side. Rogue withdrew his hoof just before hitting me.

I turned on the minigun, "Hey, that wasn't very nice! Those are my friends." the weapon attachment lifted up, focusing on the giant shadow monster that was Rogue. A spray of powerful ordnance plummeted him. He shouted, trying to swipe at us again.

"Buck off, you think you're bullets are that effective?" he smashed his hoof onto the balcony again, jostling me, before he hit me and knocked me over. I smacked to the floor, my power saddling clanging, and I heard something crack. The gun fell off, and I wasn't sure how it was supposed to go back on. I saw it spiral away across the floor before it came to a stop next to the wall.

"Hey!" Pumpkin gasped, "Leave him alone!" she reached into another saddle bag, withdrawing three small white cubes and another bright red cherry bomb. She opened the little bomb, placing a couple cubes inside of it, and popping the last into her mouth. "MMM! Sugar cubes!" she tossed the cherry. "Now it's a sugar bomb! Even better."

Yet again Stingray had landed atop the balcony, and he grabbed the cherry as it sailed toward his companion. He tossed it away, and it exploded into a brilliant fireball a few feet away. It was bigger than before.

"Hey! That was such a waste of sugar!" Pumpkin pouted.

"Back off cupcake," said Stingray with a smirk, "before I have to hurt you."

I was just getting to my feet when Rogue spoke, "What do you think you're doing?" he was staring right at me. " _Shade lighter commence! Shadow of stars, pummel my foes!"_ Black orbs appeared all around the unicorn.

"Shit!" yelled Wonder, and I saw him run toward me. He leapt as the orbs came crashing down, and his outstretched hooves took the brunt of the blast.

"Wonder!" I cried. He landed on his side in front of me, but he got up just as soon as he hit the ground. He did look a little battered, but thankfully he was ok.

"What? How are you still standing?" Rogue demanded furiously.

Wonder lifted a hoof, looking down at his spikes. "Magic dampeners." he smiled. "Quite a nifty piece of armor dontcha think? I'd say so."

"Faust damn you!" Rogue snarled.

"No, damn you! I've been waiting a long time for the day I'd get to do this again," Wonder smiled, then lowered his hoof. " _Collection of power, strength!"_ He yelled. A magical glow formed around our group, the aura a deep wine red. I felt a million times more energetic all of a sudden and on my EFS my AP maxed out and then continued to grow. I had no idea how that was possible. " _Collection of power, defense!"_ My armor clanked around me and I saw a notification:

BARRIER ADDED: DAMAGE RESIST +50 ENERGY RESIST +50 RADIATION RESIST +50

Then there was a clash and I knew I had the minigun back. Wonder looked over his shoulder at me. "OJ, this might be stupid, but you guys take care of Stingray. I've got Rogue."

"Wait, what're you gonna do!" I was worried about him.

His spikes flared up with that red magic, "You'll see." he winked. " _Conversion of power!"_ he yelled, and suddenly he was growing, standing in the library and just as tall as Rogue. It looked like he was engulfed in a see through red fire, the color of wine, but it was just his magical aura.

"How dare you steal my magic! Copy my tricks." Rogue growled at Wonder.

"Hey, somepony had to do it. Take it as a compliment that I learned something from you. But I think I was right, I am bigger than you." he glanced down at Rogue to look in his eyes, but it was only a couple hundred feet.

"Face me!" Rogue yelled in anger. He leapt forward, lifting a hoof to punch Wonder, and then the two were at it.

"It's good we've got such a _big_ library. Otherwise there wouldn't be enough room for the two of them." Pumpkin commented. She was chewing on something.

"Right." said Stingray, turning away from the two giants. "Well, looks like I've got to deal with you four. That's nothing." He moved to jump toward Pumpkin Spice, but she spat out what she was chewing on, and it splattered near Stingray's feet.

"Ew, what the buck is this stuff!" he tried to lift a hoof, but the sticky mess just got worse, and by the time he was done trying to get out of it, it had covered all four of his hooves, and he was stuck to the floor.

"Just a little hi-chew." Pumpkin shrugged.

"Just a little?" Stingray grappled with the gross stuff on the floor, but he just couldn't get out.

I giggled, "Hehe, that's funny."

"What're you laughing at short stuff?" Stingray snapped at me, "I could obliterate you with a look!"

"Why don't you try then?" I couldn't help myself and I was still laughing at him.

"What the hell is hi-chew anyway?"

"Niponese taffy, sorta," said Pumpkin.

"Buck you!" came a shout. "This is my magic you're using against me! In the end it won't matter. I will win!" Rogue yelled at Wonder.

"Not a chance," Wonder replied back, smashing a hoof into his opponent's face, "See, this isn't your magic anymore. The spikes transferred it to me. The more you hit me with your shadows, the stronger I get." Rogue did all he could, but he was left exhausted and out of breath on the floor of the tower, back to normal size. Wonder leapt to the balcony and his magic turned him back to normal too.

"Whoa! You're so cool Wonder!" I gasped.

"No," he flipped his bangs, "Actually I'm hot." I giggled.

"What!?" Stingray yelled, "How could you defeat him! We're more powerful than any of you!" a bright white light flared up, and suddenly the taffy was burned to a crisp. His eyes were glowing white now, and he lifted a hoof, an orb of white energy appearing atop it. Shooting it toward Wonder, he knocked him over liking a bowling pin.

"Ugh!" Wonder gasped as he hit the tiles.

"Wonder! Are you okay? How come your spikey thingies didn't do anything?" I ran to him where he lie crumpled on the floor.

"They must only work for a short period of time. I think they gotta recharge." He smiled shakily at me, "Don't worry, I'm not out yet. It takes a bit to exhaust me. But I'll be useless until these start working again. Right now, they're just as much a fashion accessory as they've always been."

"Right," I nodded firmly, "then we'll just finish up for you!"

I spun around, and aimed my minigun. The gatling chamber fired up again, spinning round and round in circles as it prepared to fire. Bullets sprayed out, right for Stingray. He jumped up and to the side, moving off as my gun chased him down. He ran along the walls, along the spines of books, and the bullets continued to miss! They only smashed into the far bookcases. Pages flew everywhere, bullets and paper raining down, but still, Stingray continued to avoid my barrage.

"Get back here you! I don't think I put enough sugar into my cherry pie yet!" Pumpkin cried, sounding upset. She tossed a few cherry bombs, trying to hit Stingray, but the explosions missed him every time.

He landed at the far side of the balcony, on the other side of us. Wonder was on the floor, our gunman protecting him, aiming a rifle down the sights at the enemy unicorn. The ashling shook his head, white light enveloping him, "You're not gonna stop me! I will complete the ritual!"

"What ritual silly?" Pumpkin Spice cocked her head, mane bouncy.

He lifted a book, one he must've either had the whole time or one he'd picked up when he was dodging our attack. " _Incantum! I incite sacred powers, come to light and come from shadow!"_ A black colored magic burst upward from the book and that same coloration formed in the tower down below. A circle of strange writings had filled up on the floor. " _For my king of death and destruction!"_ Stingray yelled.

A single shot sounded from our gunman's rifle. The bullet sailed through the air, burying itself in Stingray's chest. He made an oof sound and crashed to the floor. But he was smiling. "It is done." the book hit the floor next to him, the pages sifting at a fast speed. Then it slammed shut. Stingray closed his eyes, passed out.

* * *

Guardian

I immediately reached into my weapon's case, and exchanged my laser rifle for what was called the Cryogenesis. A weapon created by arcane sciences of a long forgotten Stable long before I was even born. How it came into my possession is a long story, one I would have to share later. Right now, the basics were, it used magical ammo, also specially created, to freeze and manipulate time. Each burst was a burst of mana. If I couldn't hit this mare with physical attacks, I'd have to use magical ones instead.

So as soon as she was in close range, I shot her point blank with the cryo rifle. Ice and Time energies mixed to assault her and she reared back. "Ack! What is this? You shouldn't be able to hit me!"

"Sorry, _Missy_ ," I said, as though scolding a foal, "but this gun runs on magic, not bullets. You're outta luck."

She stomped her front hooves, "Don't you dare say my name in that manner! _Manipulation Magic, Spatial Void!"_ A colorful orb ripped open near me, causing a searing pain in my shoulder.

"Gah! Through my armor! How could you?" I backpedaled, pointing my rifle at her.

She smiled wide, pleased with herself. "Magic can do a plentitude of things, such as manipulate the space within your armor without leaving a single physical mark. Now you'll feel pain!"

"Not if I can help it!" I yelled, firing off a couple bursts.

 _"Manipulation Magic! Field Transfer!"_ with four simple words, Missy and I switched places, and the magic bursts from my own weapon hit me instead of her. I slammed to the floor, hitting a bookshelf and causing it to fall forward right on top of me.

I shoved the books away from myself. "Alright, I can see you're playing dirty. Well, I can do the same." I glanced to where Missy was standing, calculating the distance between myself and her. Then I stood, aimed my rifle and fired. I pointed it twice with multiple different bursts and when Missy switched places, she was the one who was blasted. I was easily able to dodge the ones meant for me.

"But how?!" gasped Missy as she picked herself off the floor. Her eyes widened when she realized, "You shot it at yourself!"

I lowered my helmet and smiled at the raider, "Can't outsmart me, and since we've made some distance between each other, any bursts that may hit me after switching places I can easily avoid."

"Well, you may be lousy at requiping, but at least you make up for it in your quick draw abilities. You can send off many more shots in the blink of an eye than I anticipated." Missy smirked, "I like a challenge."

"Not a challenge anymore," said a stallion behind the mare, who was holding a gun to her head.

"Lockwood!" I gasped.

"Where in Equestria did you come from?" Missy snarled, but she couldn't move, because she didn't know what type of gun was being held to her head.

"I escaped your cronies just as easily as you put me in their path." said Lockwood. "And from my observation of this battle, it would appear all I need is a little magic to defeat you."

Missy laughed, "A little? You underestimate me."

"Good thing this lightning barrage gun can send off both physical laser bolts and magical lightning bolts with the click of this button here." he clicked the said button and a whir of power could be heard as the gun glowed from red to yellow.

"You're too late you know," said Missy.

"How so?"

"I was here to serve as a distraction. My comrades already completed their task."

I stiffened, thinking of OJ. "What happened?" I demanded, steadying my rifle.

"Oh, don't worry, your precious Puppydog is alright. Somehow, his team managed to take out our Dragons. But no matter, because they completed their task before being defeated, so we stand victorious once again."

"Enough of this," Lockwood snapped, and he pulled the trigger.

 _"Manipulation Magic, Removal!"_ she yelled, and she disappeared in an instant, the bolt of lightning zapping the floor instead.

"Damn! She made me waste a bullet! Those things were Faust damned expensive! And until trade resumes, I won't be getting anymore anytime soon either. I hate raiders!" Lockwood was shaking his head. Just then, the lights powered back on and all the shadows were swept away.

"Whoa," said a light pink mare, almost white, "That was a doozy," she glanced about.

"Roseanne, glad you're safe." I acknowledged.

She lifted her 10mm pistol, blowing a puff of smoke, "As I'll ever be, but you wouldn't believe what I had to go through. Some kinda ninja or somethin'!" I shook my head with a smile and Lockwood started laughing.

"Come on, we've gotta keep moving," said I.

* * *

Orange Juice

 _"You know, it's probably okay that we're running a bit behind," Tide was saying as she basically dragged me down the hall. She had a hold on my hoof and she would not relent for anything. "Showing up fashionably late isn't unheard of!" she was trying to convince herself._

 _"We'll be fine!" I agreed with her._

 _"Who asked you?" she shot me a nasty look._

 _"S-sorry!" I stuttered._

 _Tide shook her head, "Just get a move on." I'm not sure I could get a move off, even if I tried to. I was being dragged down the hall afterall._

 _Finally we reached an intersection, where the tunnels widened out. "Elevators this way." she turned the corner, and suddenly let go of my hoof, causing me to sprawl forward and faceplant the metal grating. "Oof!" I heard Tide cry out. I glanced up at her out of the corner of my eye to see her bounce back off a mare in front of her. A rather large mare._

 _"Oh my!" the mare moved to the side._

 _"Get outta my way, now!" she snarled. Grabbing me by the ear, she said, "Up, stallion!"_

 _"Ow ow ow!" I gasped as she pulled me by my ear now. Ugh, what'd I do to get in trouble?_

 _"What the buck?" Tide stopped and let go. "How many of you dumb mares need to catch an elevator? Right now!"_

 _In front of us the section was crowded with many mares and their queues. All were spruced up in dresses for the mares and nice outfits for the stallions. There was just no way we could possibly get to the elevators now! Not anytime soon at least._

 _Tide tried to shove her way past everypony, but when that proved difficult, she lost it. Planting all four hooves wide, she shouted, "MOVE!" the noise of the crowd died down for a moment, but then slowly but surely the ponies parted to make way for her. As we passed, I heard grumblings but everypony new it was Tide and they didn't wanna mess with her. I heard her name muttered and some ponies said things like, "Well, today is that day." Tide just charged on through._

 _We got a bunch of angry looks as we moved through the crowd to the elevator. Especially when we stopped in front of it and she slammed a hoof on the button. I blushed as we passed, embarrassed and sorry we were being rude to them._

 _The elevator dinged and the doors opened. It was full of even more ponies. Tide pushed her way in, not caring. "Wow, can't wait in line like the rest of us." one mare outside grumbled._

 _The doors were closing, but with a dark look and a shadow cast over her eyes, Tide lifted her hoof in an instant, it banging against the closing door and causing it to reopen. "What did you say?" her bangs fell over her eyes and she looked completely and utterly pissed._

 _"You heard me."_

 _"Who said that?" she lifted her face, eyes searching the crowd._

 _I was taking a risk, but I tapped her on the shoulder, "Um, Tide…we're gonna be late remember?" I'm not exactly sure what we were gonna be late to, but it was obviously important since Tide stopped what she was doing and stepped back into the elevator._

 _"Be lucky my queue has some sense." the doors closed. Then she glanced around, blinking, "Did I just say that?" she looked down at me, and I lowered myself, cowering. She shook her head and looked away, silent for the rest of the elevator ride._

* * *

 _The doors opened and we stepped out onto a carpeted hallway. A light purple carpet had been laid over the metal floor. All around decorations had been put up, a pink theme to them. Music could be heard in the air, a pumping beat that made me wanna dance, but I was still wary of Tide, so I didn't make a move._

 _"Come on colt, we've gotta find her," she gestured to me and moved off._

 _We went down the hallway. I lifted my nose, mmm, colt could something delicious be smelled down here. I sniffed the air and started to move toward the source of the smell._

 _Jide grabbed the collar of the turtleneck, nearly choking me as I was yanked back, "Are you a bucking animal? Get it together and don't you dare embarrass me. You're here to make me look good. Don't forget it."_

 _"I won't. I'm just so hungry."_

 _"We'll eat later! Sheesh, you're such a child." she shook her head._

 _I followed along after her, like a loyal pet, "So who are we looking for?" I asked her._

 _Tide glanced down at me, "One of my friends. She's a beautiful mare, and one day she's gonna rule this place."_

 _"That sounds cool!"_

 _Tide ignored me and continued to scan the crowd. The room was filled with ponies and tables with treats lined the walls. The music blasted and I really just wanted to dance. At a rumble in my stomach, I also wanted to eat. But Tide was too busy._

 _"Ugh, this is pointless!" she growled. That's when the song changed and a voice came over the comm,_

 _"Everypony, it's time for partner dancing! Mares who brought a stallion with them, get out there. Mares who didn't, that's alright, find a friend or just wait it out." the song was a slow song._

 _Tide glanced at me, "I guess there's no harm. What are you here for after all?" she took me by the hoof, but this time she was surprisingly gentle. We went out to the floor._

 _Above, silk draped from the ceiling. Lights glittered off of everything and more decorations hung along the walls where I could see them. She had one hoof on mine, and the other on my shoulder. I was doing the same. We slowly moved back and forth to the music, turning slowly._

 _"Can I ask who you're looking for?" I asked her, trying to catch her eye. She was still distracted by all the other dancers._

 _"I already told you." she said, still not looking at me._

 _"Well, um, what does she look like?" I asked her._

 _Tide sighed, looking up at the ceiling, "She's a pink mare, a very vibrant pink that stands out against the rest. She's hard to miss really. Her sparkling eyes…" Tide glanced down at me for a second. "Why should I be telling you this?!" she scoffed then glanced away. "Oh!"_

 _"What!?" I glanced around._

 _"I see her! Come on!" she let go of me, and I trotted after her._

 _We approached the pink mare. She was wearing a dress that flowed around her like an ocean. It was a very light blue. "Whoa!" I breathed._

 _"Don't stare at her like that. Make sure I'm the one who looks good, got it?" Tide snapped._

 _"Oh right!"_

 _The mare turned slowly, smiling, and making eye contact with Tide. "Hey Rose!" Tide smiled a huge brilliant smile. It was honestly genuine and I was shocked. Normally she was scary when she smiled. Not tonight._

 _"Oh!" Rose's smile faltered and it looked a little less sincere. "Hey there Tide…!"_

 _"Happy birthday!"_

* * *

The Guardian came on over the radio, " _Everypony still okay?"_

I tapped my radio button, "Er, is this thing on? Uh…Mm-hmm! But we just fought some mean ashlings." I was staring at Stingray right now. His belly moved up and down slowly.

Wonder stood up, he'd been checking on the pony. "He'll be okay." That's when a dark abyss seemed to open up and swallow him whole. I nearly fell over. Rogue down below was gone too.

"H-hey! Where did they go?"

" _They disappeared?"_ the Guardian asked. He sounded concerned.

"Yeah!"

" _Ours did too. Must've been the spell she cast…Anyway! We need to meet up. Let's regroup near the parkway that leads to the downtown district. I've got some questions."_

"Okay!" I nodded. "Guys!" I called after turning off the radio. "It's time to go."

Pumpkin Spice was eating a sucker, "I'm ready!" she said around the stick.

"Let's get outta here." said Wonder.

They followed me out the door and down the stairs. We moved off to the back rooms. Meanwhile, our gunman checked every room before proceeding, aimed around every corner. "Just making sure." he stated.

We made it to the back, where double doors led to the outside, a huge EXIT sign above them. The two soldiers shoved them open. There was a small garden, a fountain straight ahead and the walkway moving around it. To the left a road could be seen leading into the downtown district of Bittsberg. The Guardian already sat waiting at the fountain, his team milling about.

"Good! You're all here. I heard you underwent a battle?"

"That's right! It was _soo_ fun!" Pumpkin Spice cheered.

"Of course it was PS, of course it was." the Guardian patted her on the shoulder. Then he turned to me, "You did good Puppydog. Now, tell me about this 'task' they were trying to complete?"

I nodded vigorously, "Yep, yep! You see, when we went in, they were reading a bunch of books from the tower. And, and! They had this one book in particular—"

"I snatched it for ya," Wonder held out his hoof, passing the big black tome to the Guardian.

"Yeah!" I nodded again, "and we fought them, and won!"

"I wouldn't call it a victory," said one of our soldiers, the one with the rifle. "That white one, the one called Stingray. He completed their little ritual right before I finished him off."

"I wouldn't call it finished off either," Wonder winked at me.

"He was still breathing, I admit."

"He finished the ritual?" the Guardian asked with a raised brow.

"Something about these sacred powers, and his king?" said Pumpkin Spice.

"Shadows and light," I added.

"Perhaps we'll ask Combat Zone about it. He knows more about Circle and the ashlings than I do." the Guardian said. He was hoofing through the book, slowly, page by page. "I'm not really understanding this, but I bet Ashe would. Even Lily Bloom might be able to figure it out."

"Well duh! You'd need a translator!" Pumpkin Spice had sprung up next to the Guardian, "It's in Ancient Ponish."

"Obviously they didn't need anypony. They were a solo team," Wonder pointed out.

"That's the difference between them and us!" Pumpkin shouted.

"So we'll give this to Lady Ashe?" I asked.

The Guardian nodded to me, "That's right. She's a big reader herself."

"When do we meet up with her?"

"We've got one more leg of our journey, where we'll stop and make radio contact before proceeding to the contact point, the eye of the storm."

I nodded my head in affirmative, and looked up at the rain clouds. They had really begun to billow and were circling faster and faster the more time passed. We needed to hurry. I kept thinking of Ashe Erza. I wondered how she and the others were faring at this point. We hadn't seen them in awhile. Meanwhile, the sky only darkened.

 _ **(Chapter 33 is set for, wait for it! RIGHT NOW :DDD**_

 _Bum bum bum! Big twist going on here in OJ's flashback! Tide has a little bit of her own story to play out. And here we see her at Rose's birthday party. Oh colt, things may or may not be about to go down. If you've read Stable 28 you'll know that Rose isn't that close to Tide, but Tide thinks they're best friends. But think about it, there's a lot of undertones that come off Tide, and I think it's about time to find out what exactly happens to that before the whole thing with UP-26's revolution. Prepare yourself, because I'm creating a flashback arc here XD Who gave me the reins eh?_

 _Anyway, we finally see how OJ and his team manages to defeat these powerful enemies. Whoo, they were tough weren't they? The Circle of Ash does not play games. They are composed of mostly many very powerful unicorns as we're gonna see. But I'm original, you're gonna get to see how I give earth ponies their own bits of magic. I mean come on, you've seen it with Pumpkin Spice and ESPECIALLY Wonder just now. Hehe, badass huh? Well in Fallout there's special armor and accessories, so I thought hey, why not give Wonder's fashion a function as well? I heh, gotta just love that scene how much "bigger" he is than Rogue. Just a couple hundred feet. Proportions wise, well, that's a couple inches, if you know what Wonder means ;) Wonder you naughty colt you. Heheh!_

 _Okay, so I've written two chapters here for ya! I had no homework today lmao! I mean, thank the two tests I had today ':O Yea. I love the next chapter. I really thought about it and even did a bit of research and digging to make sure the battle looked good, and the characters were just right. It's intense and I'm glad I finished it for you guys today. Okey, love ya guys!)_

 **Brohoof! /)**


	39. Chapter 33 Crow's Calling

**Chapter 33** Crow's Calling

Ashe Erza

There was no time to waste. I knew the clouds were closing in on their center and the Circle was close to accomplishing its goal. I couldn't allow that to happen. Everything the Fort had worked for had been all up to this point. If I or the Guardian failed, it was all over. Raiders may have taken this city from us, hoof-soldiers destroyed trade. But ashlings had burned an entire warehouse of them! It was monstrous, even to raider standards. I knew Combat Zone had a heart, and I was honored to fight beside him. But it would all be for naught if Circle of Ash succeeded here today.

So I ran, full speed ahead, my scarlet ponytail whipping behind me. It was done up by a metal band in my hair. I had a face mask of twisting metal, an armor piece crafted by long forgotten alicorns. The armored saddling on my back was crafted to fit such an angelic creature as well. Its metal was curved upward to conform to the tall wings of an alicorn, and therefore played the trick that I was such a queen myself. My tail had a metal band near the base as well, and I wore armored shoes, my hooves clacking dangerously against the pavement. My legs were armored, curling designs crawling up my arms.

This was one of my most powerful armor, and I hadn't even drawn the sword yet. Adamant Winged Beast Armor. It was silver in color, and made of adamas-titanium alloy and incredibly resistant to damage. This only fit to ride into battle. I made my way into a courtyard, my compatriotes catching up to me. Felia Heart, a short mint green unicorn with scarlet eyes and umbrae purple hair. She wore a short but flowing turquoise dress, with some cute pink wing adornments, covering her cutie mark that I knew was of a bunch of glittering pink jewels floating in colorful magic. Following closely behind her was her best friend, Joyride, a light blue earth pony. He had a swept over dark blue mane, caramel brown eyes and wore a huge green knapsack, the straps tied into a bow tie around his shoulders. His cutie mark was a large ocean blue and green fish, swimming upward.

I thought of my own cutie mark, a six pronged crest. The larger two prongs pointing up and down were bulbous but sharp tipped and stood for my sword and my armor, my strength and my resolve. The next smaller prongs, curving up and down and forming around the larger two stood for my biggest morals and values, loyalty, compassion, justice and determination. The last two prongs, in the very middle and pointing left and right represented some of my flaws. It was my strong criticism and strictness, I wasn't afraid to admit that to myself. But I knew I could overcome these easily, especially when I fought side-by-side with good friends. All these prongs crossed over each other to form a powerful barrier in the middle that made up who I was. A mare not to be trifled with.

The three of us galloped into a courtyard in one of the many sectors of Bittsberg's downtown. It was an older portion and historically preserved. It looked like a medieval fashioned village town square. The surrounding skyscrapers of the office district a little bit off must've preserved this location from the megaspells all those years ago. It was refreshing to find such an aura still left in Equestria's fair cities. As we rode into the square, a sign labeled it as Crow's Calling. It creaked on the chains it hung from.

We came to a stop, looking between each other. I pointed my nose up, "I sense something dark afoot."

"That doesn't bode well," said Heart.

"Aye," said Joyride.

I lifted my hoof, "Sword of the Adamant Warrior! Seventh Heaven!" A heptad of swords appeared, circling in a dance directly in the air behind and above me. They turned forward, plunging straight for the ground ahead. Small explosions could be seen as debris kicked up from their impact. When the dust cleared, a pony came forth, unscathed. "Blast!" I cursed.

"Aww, just when I thought we'd found the one place untouched by war," said Joyride with a pout.

"For sure," Heart shook her head.

"Speak your name," I demanded of the unknown assailant. The pony wore a thin black cloak, and a pointed hat befitting a witch. The ribbon near its base was a sparkling purple. "I prefer to know what my foes are called when I do battle."

"I am Crow, of the Circle of Ash." smiled the ashling. She looked up, her fur black as night and her eyes red as blood. "This would be my sanctuary you've encroached upon. Very unwise." she shook her head.

I held out my hoof, where my Adamant Warrior sword could be seen. It matched my armor, the hilt the same adamas-titanium alloy, stretching and twisting in that beautiful design till it came just before the blade into two beautiful outstretched wings. The blade extended straight and true from there. "If I must face you here before reaching my allies then I would say it is not unwise."

"Here we go," Heart facehoofed.

"Aye," Joyride groaned.

I ignored them. Crow smiled at me, her white teeth almost glowing through the darkness that was her coat. Come to think of it, it almost appeared as though shadows were rising around her in whisps. "When you're ready come and get it," Crow stated.

"My, you're certainly confident!"

"I daresay you couldn't land a scratch on me, but knowing the warrior queen, it'd be lovely to see you try." Crow was mocking me, I just knew it.

"Do not mock that name. I shall never know from whence it came, but I bear it proudly."

"Poor Boudica!" cackled the witch. With that I stormed her, bearing my sword with both hooves I swung with all my might. However, I merely knocked aside a lamp post as Crow dodged my blow with grace. Her cloak settled around her, "Queen of Warriors!" she howled like a banshee, "Please! I'll cry! It's delectable."

I swiped at her once again and she leapt back. "You do nothing but avoid my attack, coward! You may mock me, but I see no honor in your strategy."

"You're rusty Boudica, it's hilarious!" she licked her lips, "Delicious! I couldn't get enough."

"How dare you!" I slashed but continued to miss.

"You haven't been out of that Fort in ages. I say you can't swat a fly!" she continued her endless taunting.

"You forget, you're outnumbered 3 to 1. Now! Use your magic!" I called to my comrades.

"Of course Colonel!" yelled Heart. "Joy, are you ready?"

The earth stallion nodded, "Aye, sir!"

"Commence, link!" the pair leapt into the air, lifted by the force of Heart's magic. Her horn glowed, releasing a pinkish mist. White light carried the two as they went horizontal and linked hooves. Both had their eyes closed as the magic came to light. "I call upon the strength of our evergreen bond. Aid us!" The magic became a vibrant violet pink and the courtyard filled with the energy of the pair's powerful bond.

Suddenly Joyride had sprouted a pair of wings, beautiful white feathers as though graced by Faust Herself.

A powerful orb of her magic kept Heart suspended high in the air. She called to her friend, "Hurry!" she cried. Her magic couldn't be sustained forever. It was taxing on the poor mare and it'd leave her exhausted in no time.

"Don't worry, I'll stop her!" he yelled. Wings extended, he was in the air. Raising his forehooves, bursts of mana blazed over them, transparent grayish white wisps.

"What?!" screeched Crow. "He's a pegasus? But that isn't possible!" her face was screwed up and her eyes were wide and contracted. She looked horrified.

"On the contrary, he is only in his exceeded form. A major magical boost from a close friendship is all we need." Erza informed the witch. Joy came crashing down, hooves bared.

Crow screamed when the blow connected, hitting the ground hard. Joy swooped back into the air. "That oughta do it!"

The trio thought for a moment that they had won, but then the witch slowly sat up, picking herself up from the cobblestone. "Think…again, weaklings." she croaked. "Rise! Graveyard Shift!" the shadows that I had been unsure of moments before were now fact as they shot from the ground all around us. The daylight faded to night and tombstones burst from the road, like crooked and jagged teeth. Along the walkways sprouted old, rotting trees, all dead, but looking like reaching claws. The shadows formed into balls up above, and then shot down, landing amongst the branches. There perched dozens, if not hundreds of dark birds.

"Are those crows?" Heart questioned from where she remained afloat in the alley.

"Don't you just love my babies?" Crow gasped out a peal of laughter as she faltered toward us.

It was an odd question, seeing as just a second later they all flew up into the air and began dive bombing us, cawing like wicked demons. They were despicable. I immediately rose a shield, having requipped in an instant. Nopony could top my ability to change equipment with speed. It was the main form of magic I specialized in. The manipulation of space for the storage and retrieval of a whole cache of weapons and armor.

"You never cease to amaze me with your style and grace oh Queen of Warriors!" Crow laughed in my face as my shield deflected her crows.

"Enough of this!" I yelled, tossing my shield back to where I got it from. I drew a sword instead, as well as switched armor.

"My my," stated Crow with a smile as she gazed upon me.

"Feast your eyes upon my Shadow Princess Armor," said I.

"Whoaoaoaooooo!" Joy was yelling desperately as he spiralled toward the ground. Birds continued to peck at him, cawing in his face and he was not enjoying it.

"Joy, please, I'm straining here ya know!"

"I know, sorry about that," he said through gritted teeth. He skidded a few feet across the ground before coming to a stop and seeing stars above his head. Then he snapped to when he focused on a few more birds coming his way.

"You got this, I know you can do it!" called Heart. "Just focus on your power and take those suckers down!"

"Aye! Alright here I go," said Joy as he glanced up at the sky and got to his feet again. "Power fists!" his see through white magic flared up around his forehooves again, and he got his footing on his hind legs. Balancing he punched the air in the direction of incoming birds. Magic orbs shot off his hooves and he managed to knock a few out of the air, making an opening for him to take flight. "See if you can catch me now birdies!"

"Impressive," Crow licked her lips, looking pleased by my choice in outfitting. "I like your taste."

"My defense against your shadows has raised tenfold! See if you can defeat me now, Crow." I stated in a commanding tone. I rose my new sword to the false night sky, "Here is my sword, General Starlight's Revenge, which combines perfectly with this armor. I shall not fail!" It was a cutlass with a thin black blade, the handle golden and conformed to fit around my hoof in a mesh cage.

I swiped the thin blade of the cutlass once. Light gathered at the tip, gathering the light of a thousand stars as the blade sliced through the air. Even if it did not hit her physically, Starlight would have his revenge, the magic cutting through the air in the direction I'd swiped and hitting Crow dead on.

I was not off in my theory, as Crow failed to anticipate the oncoming magic. It slapped into her and she fell back, the smile wiped clean from her face. "Interesting, it would seem you've managed to trick me."

"Tried fleeing from me now! Or perhaps you are ready to face me!" I shouted with my sword raised. I then brought it crashing down, sending more starlight at her. She failed to dodge that one as well, as she came to a wall behind her.

"Gah! I won't stand for this!" she wailed.

Meanwhile, Joy was soaring above the trees and little storefronts. He zipped away from a flock of crows on his tail. When he felt he was a good enough distance away, he spun around, letting his hind legs drop while he rose his front hooves to fight. Again he called on his fighting magic. "I'll give it all I got!" he began punching at them, shooting off orbs before they came way too close. The ones that got through came at such a speed that they basically latched on to him, carrying him straight to the ground, his back first.

"No you don't!" he gasped, grabbing at two and throwing them off him, immediately sending orbs after them. He did it with a few more too, then managed to steady himself. Looking down, a cold sweat appeared on his temple. He had saved himself with a foot to go to the ground. "Oh colt, that was a close one," he wiped his forehead with a, "phew."

"Yeah, no kidding," Heart called. Her violet pink magical field surrounding her had noticeably shrunk and she was slowly sinking to the street. Her magic would end soon and they had nothing much to say for it.

"Miss Erza better hurry," Joy sighed in exhaustion as he turned to see how the battle was doing.

"Fine," Crow was steading herself. "If you want me to face you head on, I will! But I'm warning you, it's not gonna be pretty. I'm gonna turn that face of yours into mush and then I'll feed it to Circle's fire!" she cackled as she finished her statement. At once she lifted a hoof and a broom stick sailed to her. She caught it from the air and hopped on. Then she was zooming straight toward me!

"Some trick up your sleeve, or are you just that reckless?" I asked as I positioned my sword.

"This is fun isn't it?" Crow giggled. She reached me, and I heard my sword clink. But she continued moving, _passing right through me!_ "I told you…this was a graveyard…" she was out of breath as she shot out the other side and rolled across the sidewalk. But what she'd done to me…

"Oof!" all the breath left me as a gripping pain tore through my body. I dropped my sword, then my knees gave out and I collapsed on the spot.

"No!" Heart gasped. She was staring in the direction of the battle with Crow. She locked eyes with Joyride then, determination written all over her expression, "I can hold it. Joy, you have to keep going!"

"Heart, you'll push yourself too far, and I would be so guilty if I let you do that!"

"Don't worry about me. Erza is one of our strongest fighters. If she goes down, we lose our greatest chance."

Joy bit his lip, wanting to argue, wanting his friend to be safe. But he knew she was right. "Fine! But promise me you're gonna be okay!"

"I will, I swear to you I won't let you down."

"Good!" he yelled as he took off without a backward glance.

I had a gripping pain coursing through me and I could barely move to turn and see that Crow was still able to stand. She was getting to her feet this very moment. Adjusting her hat she said, "I…I'm coming for you now Ashe Erza…you haven't stopped me yet."

"B-but, how?" I choked out through the pain. "My Shadow armor…"

"Oh, but I wasn't a shadow. None of this is shadows. I was a ghost!" she drew closer with every breath. With every word she took another stumbling step forward.

"A…ghost?"

"Oh, your sword took a lot out of me. It must be the type to put souls like me to rest. But it wasn't enough you see."

"Tell me what you mean!" I demanded.

"Tsk tsk, making demands in this state. That might get you a slow death." she giggled like a little filly. "Very well," she said as she moved ever closer to me and my impending doom. I could barely move. "Everything around you is an illusion, and my crows are bits and pieces of me spun into that illusion. Dehors cruxes if you may."

"Outside…the soul? You ripped yourself apart?"

"I'm a witch! What can I say? But now…I wanna see what you look like when I rip you apart. Hehe…" she almost had her hooves upon me. I didn't dare close my eyes however.

Something swooped past, taking Crow with it. "Sorry to tell you," said Joy, "But we've taken out all of your birdies! So now it's just you, me and the sky." they soared up and up, leaving me way down below.

"Let me go! I demand you put me down at once so I can get to work on tearing that wench to shreds!"

"You really want me to let you go? Right now?" said Joy, confused as to whether the ashling knew how high up they were or not.

" _Yes!"_ she hissed in anger.

"Okay, but you're not gonna like this."

"Wait what?" she looked down just when Joy let go of her. "Wait, no! Not right now, not right noooooooowwww!"

I watched as she fell from the sky. I must say, I didn't think Joyride had it in him to do such a thing as drop another pony from the sky. But I guess it did make sense. After all, she was a raider, and she had been trying to kill me. So I watched as she plummeted full speed to the street below. They were so far up however that her trajectory led her to a completely different side street. One inaccessible from here. We would have to back track up the alley and around the block to see what had become of her.

Joy landed, just in time to because I saw his wings disappear, dashed lines at first and then blinking out of existence. "Felia Heart! No!" he ran to her.

I smiled, "I shall see what became of our foe. Stay here, I shall be but a moment."

"Okay…" Joy barely acknowledged me. He held the mare in his arms. Heart blinked her eyes at him.

"I…Did you do it Joy?" she smiled up at him.

"I did it, aye, sir." he nodded.

I galloped as fast as I could around the corners that led to my fallen enemy. No way she could survive that, at least not normally. But I did take into account that she was an ashling capable of highly advanced dark magic. However, when I reached her, I found her lying in a crumpled heap. She was still breathing, but I didn't know if she was conscious. I stopped a few feet before her, peering down on her.

"Be lucky I do not smite the defenseless." I was just turning when I saw her stir. "Oh? Getting up to face me once more? You do prove quite a worthy challenge."

Crow sat up, but she was unable to push herself off the ground. She could only lay there, head barely raised as she spoke to me, "If you think I'm a challenge, wait till you meet my sister, Raven." then shadows formed around her, sifting her body away. She was gone.

Joyride and Felia Heart came around the corner, Heart limping and being supported by Joy. He had one of her forelegs around his shoulders. "Hey, is everything okay Erza?" said Heart.

"I might ask you the same question."

"I'll be fine. I just need some rest. Joy's gonna take me home."

"Oh, is he now?" Erza glanced to the stallion.

He had a wobbly smile, he was barely keeping Heart up, "I-I have enough residual magic to activate my exceeded form long enough to take her back to the Fort."

"Very well."

"You sure you can make it on your own? I can still fight if I need to." Heart tried to release herself from Joy's aid.

I held up my hoof to stop her, "No, I can continue from here on my own. Don't worry, I'm not alone. The radio point is in only a few blocks and the contact point a couple more miles after that. Besides that, there are still two more teams on this side of the contact point."

"If you're really sure, ma'am." Heart smiled at me, "Faust-speed." she slipped her arm off Joy and he moved a little away so he could spread his wings. They appeared in a flash in all their glory.

"Magnificent," I stated.

"See ya later Colonel!" Joy called as he lifted Heart into the air and sped off over the city.

"Now," I said as I turned away, heading off in the direction of my destination, "I have to wonder who this Raven is." I let my armor return to normal combat armor and bulletproof vest meant for the situation as I went into the storm ahead.

 _ **(Chapter 34 set for 4/19/18 at 10:00pm CT**_

 _Where do I even begin? I do want to say how much I_ really _enjoyed_ _writing this chapter! These four characters were super fun to write! I loved creating their personalities and their abilities. I completely made Crow up but I did give her some Harry Potter vibes there in the end didn't I? I didn't want to be obvious though, so I looked up where Horcruxes came from and it seems the author combined Dehors with crux which literally means "the outside soul."_

 _Yes, I did a lot of digging for this chapter. As I mentioned in the previous chapter's footnote, I wanted this chapter to be perfect, with great personality development and an excellent depiction of the battle and magical abilities of each character, including strong dialogue. I am really, really satisfied with how it turned out and I hope you guys enjoyed too._

 _I'm gonna admit, I borrowed some inspiration from my favorite anime Fairytail once again. Felia Heart and Joyride are based off characters from it. Joyride more so, but I'll get to that. I did use a second bit of inspiration for Heart. A character from an anime that I've never watched. I found some clips from a mecha anime of a girl who can use powerful magic to create enhancements for her friends but it comes at a price. She can seriously exhaust herself if she's not careful._

 _Joyride, hehe. It was fun to create him. There were some challenges though let me tell you. But that's what made it fun. He's based on Happy, a character from Fairytail. Now Happy is a cat, but he can fly, and he's actually from a race called Exceed. The tricky thing about this was that there aren't any pegasi in FoE, so I couldn't give Joyride Happy's wings by making him a pegasus. The other thing, and this was actually really fun, was his appearance. Since I wasn't sure what to do if he wasn't a pegasus, I went to a pony creator, in fact a My Little Pony Movie pony creator. I thought hey, the landscapes in that movie kinda reflect the landscapes in FoE and this'll be perfect! So I created an earth pony that was perfect for Happy and then worked on using Felia's abilities to make him into a flying pony just like Happy is a flying cat. Exceeded! :D_

 _I have thrown a lot of my own originality and creativity into these characters on my own, don't get me wrong, and I really hope you like them. While they may have come from other places, it was only the inspiration that drives them. They will certainly be making a comeback at some point, just you wait. I love this chapter quite a bit, so please let me know what you think!_

 _Now, I know this was quite a bit to read. Say "Aye, sir!" in your comment if you've gotten this far ;) Okay, love ya!)_

 **Brohoof! /)**


	40. Chapter 34 Contact Point

**Chapter 34** Contact Point

Orange Juice

" _We are moving toward the contact point as we speak,"_ said Ashe Erza over the radio.

"We must stay within range to form our next strategy," said the Guardian with a huff. "If you move out of range before that happens…"

" _Don't worry. Listen, there is no time to waste. We'll have time to make our next move once we make contact."_

"Alright, I understand." said the Guardian, and then he turned off his radio. He turned to us, "It's time to get going." was all he said before he turned away. His group followed after him. The was a dark air to him, and I was worried.

Pumpkin Spice moved toward me over the stone walkway, "Hey! After all this we're gonna go home and bake a cake!"

I glanced at her sideways, "I thought you didn't know how to bake?"

She smiled, lighting up the courtyard, "No, I don't! But I can sure fix up your mane. I can see that long adventures don't do it well."

"Mhm," I nodded, but I was still glancing over in the direction the Guardian had left in.

"I think he looks _fine_ no matter how his mane is," Wonder winked at me from where he sat at the fountain. Pumpkin giggled.

I glanced up at the gray sky, "I'm scared…"

"Hey," Wonder stood up, "Don't be cutestuff, we're working as a team and everything's gonna be alright."

I gave the command to move off, the opposite way that the Guardian had went, but we would make our way around the block and meet back up at the contact point. Meanwhile, I had found a stone along the trail and I was kicking at it. We were walking through a park, trees on each side. I stared down at the stone, concentrating on it. "Come on guy, you can do it," I was trying to levitate it. It took a lot of concentration, but in several seconds it lifted into the air, my turquoise magic surrounding it.

"Whatcha doing OJ?" Wonder turned around and my concentration was broken. It shot through the air, barely missing him by inches. "Well, I've heard of Cupid's Arrow, but not whatever that was!" he chuckled to himself.

"I'm sorry!" I gasped, galloping to stand by his side. We had stopped and the rest of the team was moving on ahead. "I wish I had better magic!" I pouted.

"You'll get better," Wonder smiled.

"But it's worthless now!" I whined.

"You've got all the magic you need," Wonder poked me in the chest, not withdrawing his hoof.

"How?"

"Lemme show you."

We were on a path in a small patch of trees, the branches bare but beautiful all the same. A few feet away was a bench. Past this was a large meadow with winding paths for walking. A breeze blew, flicking through Wonder's mane. He grinned at me, right before pushing himself to the tips of his hooves to reach my level in my power saddle and touching his snout to mine. Whispering against my muzzle with his eyes closed, "Just believe in yourself the way I believe in you." his breath tickled my lips.

My heart was doing backflips and it felt like I was falling when he didn't kiss me, instead backing up a little and smirking. I loved that look. "Look Cutie," Wonder's eyes sparkled. I glanced up, seeing a few stones, and twigs all lifted into the air together, all by my green aura. "Oh…" I breathed.

Slowly, everything sank to the ground, as I set it down gently. I was smiling, happy with myself. "WHATTAYA DOING?" Pumpkin Spice was suddenly between us, arms wrapped around our shoulders. Then she was standing on all fours again in front of us, poking Wonder in the chest, "Come on slow pokes! We're waiting for ya!" then she spun around and went bouncing away back down the path. _Boing, boing, boing_.

* * *

 _"Oh…why thank you…" Rose looked concerned now. I wasn't sure why but I think she was uncomfortable._

 _"That's a wonderful dress by the way," said Tide. "Shows off just enough, but not too much, if you know what I mean." she winked._

 _Rose smiled, "Well thanks, but I'm not sure that's what I was going for with it."_

 _"Tide has a great dress too!" I beamed up at the pink mare, "She's so pretty right?" I thought that was what she meant when she said make her look good so I was doing my absolute best. I always did my best! Hehe._

 _"Oh, yeah, I think it's great!" Rose's smile wavered as she looked at Tide's tight fitted dress. But she retained it. "Listen Tide—"_

 _Tide cut her off, "Soo, whataya doing hanging around on your own? Today's your special day! Why not dance with me?" Tide smiled at Rose, looking the mare up and down._

 _"I'm looking for somepony, I seem to have lost her," Rose glanced over Tide's shoulder._

 _"Who's her?" Tide looked too, but I'm not sure she saw anything. I certainly didn't know what they were looking for._

 _"Well we should get the whole group together, shouldn't we?" Rose shrugged, "We're not the only ones here you know."_

 _"Well yeah, I know!" Tide shook her head. "We're surrounded by a sea of mares, but all I see is you."_

 _"Right, well like I said, I'm looking for somepony else," Rose said, then started to move past us._

 _"Wait!" Tide cried, holding out her hoof, "Did I say something wrong here?"_

 _"Tide, please, not tonight…"_

 _"Hey, Tide, do you wanna go somewhere else?" I asked her._

 _"Shut your mouth!" Tide snapped at me._

 _"Let's hangout another time Tide! I…I like your parties!" she was off like a bullet, disappearing into the crowd._

 _"This party is the only one that tops all of mine…" Tide stared after Rose. There was a short pause where anything could've happened. That's when Tide turned on me, "How dare you! You made me look stupid, not better!"_

 _"I-I'm sorry." I croaked._

 _She slapped me, leaving my face stinging. I thought she was going to say something else by the way her jaw clenched, but she turned away. Just before she turned I saw tears forming in her eyes. Then she ran away. She was leaving. "W-wait!" I couldn't be here without my mare! They'd think my queue was up, that I'd left my cell on my own._

 _Then I thought about those tears. Tide didn't cry. Could she cry? I didn't think that was possible for her, but I guess anypony can. Now I wanted to know what was wrong, and even if I could do something about it. I don't know where the urge came from, but I took one last look in the direction of Rose, then ran off after Tide. All thoughts of party favors and food had left my mind._

* * *

I couldn't keep my eyes off Wonder and I think he knew it. He walked with a strong gait, his hips moving from side-to-side, which I noticed. I think the whole time we walked I had a slight blush on my cheeks, and I know my tongue was sticking out through my teeth. I was feeling light on my hooves, despite my power saddle.

"OOOOHhhh, I think somepony has the hots for a certain Wonderbolt," said Pumpkin Spice. She was walking along beside me, not making eye contact, but glancing at the trees along the path. She did have a knowing smile on her face.

"The h-hots? Wh-what does that mean?!" I was flustered. I think I already had an idea what she meant.

"Hmm," Pumpkin rubbed her chin, staring at me intently.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" my heart skipped a beat.

"No reason." she hopped along, moving ahead of me. But as she passed I could've sworn that she said, "Heheh, my plan is coming full circle. Won't the General be pleased."

"Hey wait, whattaya mean?" I galloped after her, but she was already with the group, and I didn't wanna talk about Wonder like that right in front of him. I glanced at him and blushed hard when he made eye contact.

"Hey hotstuff," he winked at me.

I backpedalled, "H-hey!" I smiled. Then I promptly smashed into one of the soldiers with us.

"Watch it!" he snarled.

"Sorry!"

Just then the soldier taking point held up a hoof, and we all stopped. I glanced past him wondering what was up, "Did you find something cool?" I called to him.

"Shush!" he hissed.

Looking at the map on my Pip-Buck, I knew we were right on the edge of the contact point. I didn't see the Guardian, nor anypony else, but in that second I did see somepony else enter the little square. He was wearing a skin tight suit and it appeared he had something strapped to his back and another item strapped to his foreleg. He also wore saddle bags and a cape thing tied around his neck and slung over his shoulder.

"Hey! What's he doing here?" I exclaimed.

"Shut up!" everypony yelled at me, but at that point the pony in the square had spotted us where we stood in the trees.

I saw him smile. Perhaps he was friendly? He didn't look like an ashling, at least, by any rate he wasn't wearing a cloak. I stepped forward, and then I noticed he was reaching for the item on his back. His smile looked less friendly the closer I got. A shot rang out through the air, hurting my ears, and our gunman put up a hoof to stop me moving any closer.

The bullet smashed the ground right in front of the pony. "Not another step!" yelled the Colonel, who came diving toward the ground from up above. She did a flip in the air and then landed on her feet in front of the pony, between him and us. "We have you surrounded."

"Is that so?" the pony sounded so calm, and despite the threat posed by Ashe Erza, he still drew the sword from his back. It had a curved blade.

"Do not make another move, or you will be taken out," said Ashe.

"Fascinating." stated the stallion. "You may come out now!"

Erza glanced toward a side alley, where Tip and Rig emerged, knives in hoof and the soldiers sent with their team held tightly. Their knives were pressed to their throats. Before anypony could say anything, the ex-raiders slashed the soldiers' throats, and let them drop to the pavement. There was a collective gasp.

"What have you done to them!" Erza yelled, steading her rifle. It was aimed directly at her target's face.

"Oh, it was simple really. With their master under wraps, they bow to me."

* * *

"Sir, that's the ninja I fought," said Roseanne to the Guardian. "He's a tricky one lemme tell ya."

"Really?" the Guardian narrowed his eyes. "How so?"

"Bullets won't touch him."

The color drained from the Guardian's face, "Then the Colonel is in danger. That stallion is leading her on!"

"For sure," said Lockwood, "but I wonder magic bullets work against him."

"We need to get out there before she makes a mistake," said Roseanne.

"We can't be hasty. She'll keep it under control." the Guardian stated.

Lockwood was examining his gun, "I wouldn't be so sure about that. When she shoots and realizes she can't attack him, he'll have the upper hoof."

"Then let's make a plan." said the Guardian.

"What are we gonna do?" asked Roseanne.

He observed the situation. Across the way, Tip and Rig stood over the bodies of the soldiers they'd just killed. They stood between two shop fronts, meaning there was a sidestreet that could get there. The Guardian's group was between shops on this side and the park to the right. If they just went back and around…

"I want you two to head around, get to Tip and Rig. Then we'll be one step ahead of our ashling here." said the Guardian.

Lockwood was looking at a map, "That's all the way through town ya know. It'd take us 10 to 15 minutes."

"I'll take it. Move fast."

"Yes sir!" the two moved off back the way they'd came.

"Now I've got my own plan, understanding the situation," he grinned, pulling something from his pack. They appeared to be a pair of gauntlets, fit for his hooves. As soon as he put them on there was a whir of energy. Power hooves.

The Guardian stepped out from the parkway, "Hey buckface!" he yelled.

* * *

 _I chased Tide through the metal tunnels of the Stable. She led me through a long long maze that I knew I would never be able to make my way through on my own. Why I went after her was lost to me, she was so mean, a bully! But that did not mean I would be. She needed somepony there for her and I had to be that one. I think that's why I chased her down_

 _She was crying as she ran away from the party. The sounds of happy and merry making ponies were left far behind us. I wasn't thinking about dancing anymore, not the food and not the fun. I would miss it later, but this was way more important. There she was, opening a door that was previously locked. She slipped inside but must've forgotten to lock it because it hissed open when I approached._

 _"Tide?" I called into her quarters, seeing the couches of the living area. It was so quiet in here, and dark. I went first to her bedroom, but there was nopony in here. Where could she be? I walked into the kitchen. I box of something labeled Sugar Bombs on my EFS was sitting open on the counter. When I lifted it up it seemed like it had been half eaten. 'That's a lot of candy,' I thought to myself. Too bad I didn't have time to eat any myself, it looked yummy._

 _I set the box down when I heard somepony sniffling in another room. It was small and diminished in sound. It was coming from a small laboratory branching off the main hallway to the side of the bedroom. I didn't realize it was in here._

 _I opened the door slowly, "Tide? Are you in here…?" my voice softened when I saw her sitting near a large round bowl shaped object, I didn't know the name for it._

 _"What in tartarus are you even doing here?" she gasped, lifting a hoof to her face, trying to hide her tears. They rolled down her snout, mixing with the snot that drizzled from her nose._

 _I gave a tiny smile, "You cry like me," I said offhoof._

 _"Oh…is that so?" she narrowed her eyes, lowering her hoof slowly to the floor._

 _"What's the matter, Tide?" I walked inside the bathroom stopping close to the mare. My hooves were beside her tail, curled around herself protectively._

 _"I'll be fine." she stood up, but she looked shaky._

 _"Are you sure?"_

 _"Back off!" she waved a hoof at me, indicating I was in her way. I backed up. She left the bathroom and I followed her. She went into the kitchen, moving past the island and grabbing the Sugar Bombs. "Want one?"_

 _"O-oh really?" I was taken aback. I couldn't believe that a mare, let alone her of all mares! Would ever offer one of their precious commodities._

 _"Sure, why not? I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at Rose…" she tossed me one of the sugary white pieces of candy._

 _"A-are you sure you're okay?" I asked her after I finished chewing. I swallowed and nudged her with my snout._

 _"I'm not exactly sure…" she moved off, toward the bedroom. "I think I'm just tired UP."_

 _I closed the door behind us. The room was a total and complete mess, like some natural disaster called Tide had swept through here. I remembered earlier. She had been looking for something nice to wear. "You know," she said eyeing me with a soft look I'd never ever seen from her before, "you actually look really good in that."_

 _"Thank you!" I beamed._

 _"Oh hush, don't get used to it." she laid down with a huff, still in her dress._

 _I stood at the far end of the room, scared to do anything else. She sat up, staring at me. "Well, don't just stand there. It's freaky."_

 _"I don't know what to do…"_

 _She laid her head back on one of her many pillows. There was even a heart shaped pillow! Soo cute! "None of us do, stallion."_

 _I went forward, putting one hoof on the bed. Then getting braver I hopped up like a cute little bunny. I smiled down at her. Staring up at me she rolled her eyes, "What is wrong with you?"_

 _"What is wrong with you?" I giggled. Next I leaned down, and something reached out within me then. I kissed her on the lips. Slowly, like I'd never done before. Like my life depended on it. I'd gotten guts from nowhere, from chasing down this mare who had something broken inside her. Something I wanted to fix but didn't know how. What was wrong with me?_

 _I pulled away and she gasped at air, not quite believing it, the way I had kissed her. I couldn't believe it either._

 ** _(Chapter 35 set for 4/26/18 at 10:30am CT_**

 _This chapter is a bit short, I admit. It's the flashbacks I wanna touch on. Something hit deep and hard for Tide. Is there something behind that torment? I think we're gonna get to learn a bit more. Poor innocent OJ, just wanting to the right thing as always. What will he get himself into now? Well spoiler for a bit later, it's not gonna end well, but he'll get to add the autumn plaid turtleneck to his collection of lost things in the air vent above his bed. Hehe!_

 _Sooooo, did you notice the cover image I uploaded for this story? It's Orange Juice and Blitzfire! Inspired by their entire romance arc, and its name, Rebel Hearts Beating by the first scene after getting back to the Fort in OJ's bedroom, this drawing was one I worked hard and drew myself over the past few weeks. I wanted to show these guys off in all their glory. Now you can see for yourself what Ravager Blitzfire looks like, and looooook! I wrote OJ's name in the exact font (traced from Fontspace) that I use throughout my Google Docs for Chapter titles and other such headings. I really hope you like it!_

 _Love you guys!)_

 **Brohoof!**


	41. Chapter 35 Ninja Warrior

**Chapter 35** Ninja Warrior

Stepping into the courtyard was the Guardian, yelling at the ashling, "Hey buckface!" I saw him stop a few feet away from the ninja pony, behind him.

"Really now?" turned the ashling, smiling at the Guardian and licking his lips, "Is that the best you can do?"

"Guardian! He's a ninja!" I said a little excitedly, a growl on the word ninja and a smile on my face. Though, I was really trying to warn the Guardian. Oh colt, the legendary Guardian of the Fort against the powerful Ninja of Ash! I couldn't help being a little excited.

The Guardian gave me a quick glance then looked back at his foe, "No, I have a lot more tricks up my sleeve," he stated, "but I think we should have a fair fight, don't you?"

"What do you have in mind?" said the Ninja.

Suddenly the Guardian was laying out weapons at his feet, gun after gun, pistols, rifles, laser weapons, even his crossbow. "I'll choose one weapon and one weapon only, you do the same. But lay all others down. Then we shall have our fight."

"Oh, one with honor I presume? Sounds fine to me. But there will be absolutely no holding back." the Ninja smiled at him. At that instant a multitude of the Ninja's weapons appeared around him, strange looking guns, only a few and all small. Most were swords. Each weapons sank slowly to the ground. "However, we both have many primary weapons amongst secondary weapons. I think it only fair we choose two."

"Sure, but no more," the Guardian was smirking.

"Then I already know exactly what I want," he said calmly. Reaching down he picked up the weapons of his choice. A bunch of small star shaped blades, ninja stars! My eyes widened. Next he grabbed a short sword, the blade curved just slightly. "I made this one myself," he ran his hoof along the blade.

"I see," said the Guardian as he reached down and chose his own weapons. He picked up a belt of grenades of all different sorts. Then he picked up his crossbow. That made my mouth drop just slightly and my breath left my lips. "Oh…" I said.

A hoof gently touched my chin and I closed my mouth, "Hey, you okay?" Wonder was next to me, looking in my eyes with soft concern.

"It's his crossbow."

All the other weapons were moved away, off the battlefield. The two went to opposite sides. They turned at the same time, facing each other. The Guardian had a stern look on his face, but the Ninja looked pleased. I felt unsure about what was gonna happen. "I do not see why you are so confident," he said, "I could have your raider friends there attack in a heartbeat."

"Even with them, we outnumber you," said the Guardian confidently. Then he pressed the button to raise his helmet. He was getting serious and he looked so cool!

That's when the battle started. The Guardian at once shot arrows at the Ninja, and they went flying through the air, straight for their target. The Ninja leapt up tossing some stars out, and each one sliced the arrows to nothing. "Whoa," I breathed, "so cool."

"He's the badguy, don't forget."

"I won't!" I stuck my tongue out.

"I'm not sure you chose the best weapon, _Guardian,_ " said the Ninja, "whilst my stars are easily returned to me once I use them, your arrows are harder to retrieve, and much easier to destroy."

An arrow buried itself in a post near the Ninja, "Don't be so sure. I am quick and your cockiness might be the end of you." the Guardian said through his helmet speakers.

A few more ninja stars were tossed through the air toward the Guardian, spinning end over end to reach their target. That's when the Guardian tossed some grenades. They exploded against the metal blades, knocking them away. Smoke filled the air. "You'll have to hit me first!" he yelled to the enemy.

A bright flashing was seen cutting through the smoke, light gleaming off the Ninja's sword, as he slashed the smoke away. It cleared and he was left standing. That's when another star became visible, "You missed one," the Ninja smirked.

It smashed into the Guardian, sticking into his armor. He was pushed back by the force of the hit, it must've been thrown hard or been given power by the explosions. I didn't know. "You'll have to try harder." the Guardian called.

"I think not," the star that had buried itself in the Guardian's armor was emitting a smoke. No! It was melting the armor and forming a hole!

"Gah!" the Guardian shoved it away and it clinked to the ground. "So, acid huh?"

The Ninja leapt into the air, "Much more than that!" he laughed, his sword held high as he came down. But then there were more than one of him, shaking side-to-side and really hard to see. He was a blur, as many more appeared and they all came at the Guardian. They rushed him, bearing the sword down on him a hundred times more than before.

"How did he turn into so many of himself?" I asked.

"Aughhh!" the Guardian buckled.

"No! Guardian!" I ran forward, but Wonder held up a hoof.

"OJ, don't, you'll get hurt." his eyes pleaded with me and I held back. I didn't like to think that I was scaring him. So instead I nuzzled into him and we held hooves while we watched the Ninja Warrior assault the Guardian in a crazy barrage that consisted of dozens of himself. The Ninja danced around him slashing and dealing many blows to the other stallion.

When the Ninja finished, landing on the other side and remaining as one, the Guardian was left battered. I had never seen so many dents in his armor, I hadn't even thought it was possible. The Guardian was a legendary figure, a powerful fighter, and there was no way he could lose! No way in my mind that he would ever fail.

I stepped forward, past Wonder, but we still held onto each others' hooves. He squeezed mine harder, trying to make me feel better. That's when the Guardian stood up straighter than he ever had before, "You aren't going to win here." he spoke loud and clear, trying to hide the pain in his voice. The knight in shining armor couldn't lose! That was my Guardian!

"You forget, Tip and Rig have betrayed you, I can have them end you in a matter of seconds."

The Guardian glanced at me, "My Puppydog put his faith in those raiders. He trusted them and now so do I. They wouldn't betray us without good reason. Now, I think you may have forgotten that this battle was supposed to be honorable."

"Honorable? Ha! I am an ashling. I fight for my Circle, and for my king. I cannot fail him for that would mean everything we have done was all for naught."

The Guardian turned around, facing the Ninja, "Everything?"

"Now! Tip, Rig, end this battle so I can return to the Circle. Kill this Guardian." The Ninja commanded with a wave of his hoof, and I couldn't believe it was gonna be over.

"No can do," said Tip, who was stepping forward. He had a gun to his head, the mare on the Guardian's team the one wielding it. "You see, I value my life, and you know us raiders. You no longer have power over me."

"Tip? Rig?" the Ninja glanced between the two, seeing that they both had guns to their heads. The Guardian's team had gotten to them before they could attack us.

The Guardian took his chance then, lifting his crossbow and aiming it at the Ninja's chest, "So you see, I've got the upper hoof, and it's gonna be you to die. I'll end your life in an honorable way, more than you deserve considering." he pressed the weapon to the ashling's chest, "Seeing as these are arrows and not bullets, it would seem the crossbow was the best weapon to choose after all."

"What?" the Ninja was shaking his head. "No!"

The Guardian fired, and an arrow plunged into the enemy's chest. The Ninja fell to the ground on his knees, but he was staring up at the Guardian. "You haven't won yet. Power draws to the Circle. His goal is on the horizon and there is very little you could do to stop it."

"You're confident," the Guardian observed.

"No, I'm certain." then he closed his eyes and slumped to the ground.

From a side alley a mare came running, her bright red mane done up in a tight ponytail. She slowed, walking toward the scene of the battle, "The first blood of many battles to come." she put a hoof on the Guardian's shoulder.

"Right. Well we need to keep going. Whatever it is that these ashlings are trying to keep us from, they've kept us from it long enough." he told her.

"But what about Combat Zone? Or Sucker Punch?" said Rig.

Tip nodded in agreement, "Yeah! They captured them, why else you think we turned on you?"

"They can take care of themselves. Knowing Combat, he won't want to miss the main event." the Guardian told them, "But for now, we've gotta get there in time."

"Right," said Rig, but he rolled his eyes.

I could tell they wanted to save their friends. I thought that made sense, and I wanted to save them too. I went to them, "Hey."

"Hey there filly," said Tip. Rig just stared at me with a greedy look in his eyes.

"Hey, don't look at me like that. It makes me feel uncomfortable."

"Stop having such big hips then!" said Rig.

"I don't think I can…" I glanced at my booty, "especially since I really like my hips!" I pouted. "I want to help you guys. I know the Guardian wants to go straight to the Circle of Ash, but we need everypony. We need to slip away."

"Oh really?" Tip narrowed his eyes.

"You'll help us find the boss?!" Rig widened his eyes.

"Shh!" I put a hoof to my lips. I glanced around at the group like I was afraid of getting caught. They were off discussing their plans. "Don't let anypony hear us."

"What aren't we supposed to hear?" Wonder was standing behind me, a glint in his eyes and a smug smile on his muzzle.

"Gah!" I gasped and fell backward.

"Hmm…" Wonder rubbed his chin, but he was off.

"Alright everypony, listen up!" called the Guardian. "The Colonel and I have determined that the eye of the storm is centered on Union Rags Station. That is not very far from where we are."

"We move at once!" said the Colonel. With that simple command, we were on our way again.

"Listen, if you're really planning on helping us, put up your helmet and follow me." said Tip.

I followed his instructions, pressing the button to raise my helmet. Tip and Rig slipped down a sidestreet to the right, and we left our group. I was trotting along after Tip, Rig was behind me. I glanced around at all the old buildings. Iron stairwells were attached to the side of some of them, windows were sticking out of the ground at diagonals, some buildings had stone staircases that went downward to doors. There was a big old square shaped trash can that had one lid open and one closed. I was curious as we passed it, and I stood on the tips of my hooves to look inside. It was empty.

"Hey! We need to get a move on." said Tip. I looked to where he stood in the middle of an intersection. Rig was pawing at a sewer cap and Tip was staring at me.

"I'm ready!" I yipped, all perked up. I was smiling, but the ex-raiders couldn't see.

Tip kicked the lid to the sewer up, holding it so Rig could climb down. There was a ladder that led to the dark sticky depths below. I wondered what we were gonna find. Oh, oh! Maybe we would find an army of mutant bugs that would wanna help us fight the Circle of Ash. They would all be marching in a row, and they would hold onto guns held high until we said to fire. I giggled as I took my turn down the ladder.

"What's so funny?" Tip asked as he came in after me.

"Toy soldiers," I said through my laughter. "Bugs fighting for us instead of against us." I grinned at him, happy with my idea.

"Bugs?" Tip cocked his head, "Funny, we'll have to deal with a lot worse than that down here. These are the Rags Sewers. If we're lucky we'll only run into Lurks."

Up above the sewer cap clicked into place rather loudly and just behind us came the sound of hooves landing on the walkway. A light turned on, a flashlight. "Hey boys! Your luck just arrived." Wonder winked at us.

I blushed, "Wonder!"

"What are you doing here? OJ was the only one invited." Tip yelled.

"Yeah, what he said!" Rig added.

"Colt, you really are dumb," Wonder shook his head, "the more the merrier, power in numbers." he knocked on Tip's forehead, "Get it through that skull of yours buddy. We're your friends."

"Grrr," Tip growled but said nothing as Wonder moved past him.

"OJ! You didn't tell anypony you were leaving!"

I rubbed my leg, "Yeah…I didn't think the Guardian would be okay with it. He wants to go to that Union Rags Station but we don't have all our horses in a row."

Wonder smiled fondly, "You mean Combat and Poptart?"

"Yeah! They're our friends too! I can't leave them behind." I nodded.

"I get it Cutie, that's why I'm coming with you." Wonder glanced at Tip and Rig, the Twin Mages, who were currently arguing with each other, "Especially if I get to keep an eye on these two."

"We can trust them!" I exclaimed. "They aren't bad ponies. Not really." I liked them. They were like brothers and I think to them, Combat Zone was like a dad. Just like the Guardian! I beamed.

"What are you smiling about?" Wonder gave a crooked grin at me.

"Oh nothing. Now come on! Let's go get our friends."

 _ **(Chapter 36 set 5/15/18 at 2:00AM CT (FINALLY)**_

 _Alrighty, Chapter 35 done. We're finally leading up to the big one, the battle with Circle! The confrontation between Combat and his old friend and new enemy. What's gonna happen I wonder? Well, we gotta go find Combat first!_

 _Union Rags Station you ask? Well, since Bittsberg is based on Pittsburgh, I thought I'd do a little research. I wanted an interesting battleground for the fight with the Circle of Ash and I pictured a train station. Something cool, and important, such as Union Station in Pittsburgh. So I looked into some things with the word union relating to horses and found some prestigious award winning horses that all had Union in their names, Dixie Union, Union Rags and Union Strike. I decided on Rags because it flows of the tongue better, "Union Rags Station". Hehe, hope you like ^^_

 _I plan to get Chapter 36 done soon and Chapter 37 done within a week to a week and a half of that. The story won't be over, not by a long shot, but it's time for a break. I'll talk more about it when the time comes so don't worry to much. Thanks guys, love ya!)_

 **Brohoof! /)**


	42. Chapter 36 Sewer Rats

**Chapter 36** Sewer Rats

Combat Zone

Sludging through the murky waters of the Rags Sewers, Poptart and I made our way through the endless labyrinth that lie below the ground. Too bad these sewers didn't save anypony from the horrors of the megaspells, I was thinking as we passed the skeleton of some long forgotten pony. Whoever it had been was clutching a suitcase to their chest.

Here I was, ex-raider commander, now I was crawling with the rats. One scampered past just now, a mutated beast but it meant us no harm. Oh, but I had the intention of harm, that's for sure. A fire burned in my heart, and in my eyes as it reflected from the torch that Poptart carried in one hoof. I would destroy the pony that put me down here and separated me from my mission.

I would kill every last one of them if I had the chance. I knew that probably was unlikely. But in all honesty there was really only one stallion I wanted to kill with my own hooves. A shadow, a demon of my past. Nopony knew the true story, and I'm not sure anypony ever would. But I had it recorded down, left for history to remember forever. I stopped, sitting on the ledge beside the waterway. "Take five Poptart. We've been crawling around down here for hours."

* * *

 _I was just a colt, lucky to be alive no less. My home in a dreary little place called Midtown was destroyed. Raiders had come gunning through, shooting up every last pony who resided in the sad little village. It had all once sat in the corner of small town Equestria, only part of a little city, the rest blown away by megaspells hundreds of years ago. Now it was blown away by evil ponies too._

 _That day, the day I watched my Mom and Dad slaughtered right in front of my eyes, I vowed that I would show them all. They died protecting me. Well I wanted to prove that I didn't need protecting from anypony. So when I came down those stairs from the landing, to face what I'm sure those silly raiders thought would be my fate, I took an old useless lamp, and I shattered it. My hooves bloodied, I used it as a shiv, stabbing the hearts out of those old raider crones._

 _The leader of the group came into my house then, where he saw me murder two of his team members. That's when he took me into his group instead of killing me. But it was brutal. In the next few weeks he saw my ruthlessness and anger and took full advantage of that by making me a squad leader. Faust was that the worst day of my life. Everypony refused to actually listened and I had to kill two members of my own team before I could even raid the small outpost of wastelanders we had chosen that day._

 _A lonely old colt. That was me, staring up at the night sky tonight. I was thinking about all that I had been through this month, after losing my family and my people. No! These were my people now. A tear rolled down my cheek. 'Then why don't I feel like I belong?' I sighed._

 _I decided that I was gonna run away. I had too. I know, I know! Nopony escapes the raiders. If you're taken you're a raider forever or you're dead. You don't desert. It may be rough, they may be rabble, but they were a brotherhood and a sisterhood. Stallions and mares alike were groomed to stick together even if we were really only just fending for ourselves. But it was all wrong wasn't it? I was only here because I wanted them all dead._

 _Dead, dead, dead! That's the only words that ran through my head as I galloped over the dead fields of lonely grass. If I had my way, my leader would fall, and I would be the one standing over him. I would stab every pony in that camp. The camp I was now leaving behind as tears streamed from my eyes. I couldn't believe I was doing this, but I had too._

 _I skidded to a halt when I came to a town I thought I'd never see again. How in tartarus did I get here again? I thought we'd left it all behind. Midtown…"No!" I screamed into the night. "No, no, no!" tears streamed down my muzzle, and they fell to the ground, making the dust wet with my rage, my fear, my sadness. My deep longing regret for a past I couldn't save and a past I couldn't get rid of. 'Who was I?' I thought. "To think I could come back here and not make a total fool of myself?'_

 _I thought I could run away, but this place would follow me around forever. It would haunt me like the ghosts that still lived here. I saw every single one of them. Even my parents. "NO! Go the buck away! I killed them, the raiders who killed you…" but I couldn't bear seeing there smiling faces like they were proud of what I'd become. Who could be proud of this? I was trash, I was one with the rabble._

 _No longer. I couldn't let this sit like this anymore. So I opened my pack, seeing the matches I'd packed there. I hadn't left unprepared. I had somehow known exactly what I'd meant to do tonight. I took the match to the side of a building and I tossed it to the old rotting porch. It caught instantly ablaze, nothing could stop the flames of my heart from tearing this place to shreds. I watched it all burn down, down, down._

 _The flames burned high and I saw exactly what they wrought. The buildings fell to dust and the ashes rose to the sky. Swirling around in a tall circle that enveloped the town. They swooped down, swooshing into center. I backed away. "What…?"_

 _"You left it all behind…" whispered a voice in my head._

 _"No, I came back…" I shook my head as I watched the ash form into a circle, and a star. This was a nightmare._

 _"I wasn't talking about Midtown my little pony," the darkness seeped into my mind, into my soul._

 _"You…you were talking about the raiders, the camp." my voice shook._

 _"Yesss." a shadow formed in the middle of the circle, a pony. I didn't understand how this was happening. "They were all you needed, to quell that fire within you. You could burn everything to ashes."_

 _I moved toward it, "What are you?"_

 _"What do you think I am?" it opened evil red burning eyes._

 _My eyes widened, more tears falling harder, "I think you aren't real!" I ran forward, straight toward the shadow. Air swept through the town and swept the ash away as I ran straight for the shadow. It was laughing maniacally but soon it was nothing more than phantoms._

 _"Help…!" from a burning building came a dark black colt, smaller than even I was. He was just a runt. But his coat gleamed from the flickering flames and he looked blacker than black._

 _"No…I'm sorry!" I ran toward him, reaching for him._

 _An explosion racked the building, and it sent the two of us flying. We landed in the center of town, me on my back and he on top of me. He was coughing and I asked him, "A-are you okay?"_

 _His eyes focused on mine, "I think, I think that everything is going to be just fine." the only thing? His eyes were bright red._

 _The echo of the phantom's laughter bounced off the walls of the falling townhouses. The two of us rolled and I helped him up. "Uh…so what's your name then colt?"_

 _"Circle."_

 _"Circle?" I glanced around, seeing the remains of the buildings crumbling to ash._

 _"My parents said they were still deciding on a last name, but never did." His eyes sparked, and then he started crying. "I can't believe it happened." he glanced around at the burning town. "They're all gone!" I hadn't seen before because he was so dark in color, but now his horn glowed with a powerful red magic that couldn't be pure, and everything was wiped away. The fire was gone, the buildings crumbling and dropping to their last resting place._

 _I stared in shock before I could collect myself. I stared at the broken pony before me, and I saw myself there. We were two opposite reflections. I knew I had never seen this reflection until now. I did not know this pony, and living in a small town, you knew everypony. Where did he come from? I couldn't ask. He thought this was his home. I wouldn't crush that, I had already crushed the buildings._

 _I squeezed his hoof in reassurance, "Circle of Ash."_

 _"What?"_

 _"You were born of ash, and from ash you will rise. I've given you a last name, and I'm taking you under my wing."_

 _He smiled, "What do you have in mind?"_

* * *

I set the memory sphere back amongst my things in my pack before finishing the memory. If that was what was recorded in the sphere, that's how it happened right? I was never sure what exactly had happened that night, but the way I saw it, I had summoned a demon. Either that or I had created one. And now I had the right to burn him to dust like I burned my past.

"Wait, what? How did you know my name was Poptart?"

I rolled my head on my shoulders, getting out some kinks, then met his eyes, narrowing them, "I am the one who recruited you."

"No, Razor Blade recruited me, his men who killed my mom, dad and sister, who was an infant by the way, recruited me. They chose me because I was the only one in my settlement who stood up for everypony else."

"Hah! You think that was random? You're hilarious!"

Poptart backed away from me. I hopped down from my perch, putting my pack back on, and took a step toward him. "How could you?" his voice shook.

"It was very soon after I took over the raiders. My mission was showing we were still powerful and a force to be feared." I took another step toward him, "So I sent my hoof-soldiers to every town from there to San Palomino and I culled out the strong from the weak." I gave the smuggest smiles I have ever given, kissed the stallion on the lips, then went on my way. "Be flattered."

Poptart blinked, turning slowly to the ex leader, "Well, I um…" he licked his lips, "are you wearing flavored chapstick?"

"Want another taste?" I couldn't stop my smile.

Okay, finally time to admit it. I mean, I was stuck down here in a sewer so what better time? Ever since I had met that dumb filly, with his round ass and innocent eyes, I had found myself questioning why I was infatuated with him. I thought I had forgotten about it, but the first time I saw Poptart remove his saddle bags and strip out of his raider armor and vest, I dropped my shit. He was sexy. I was into stallions, no denying it at that point and no denying it now. I would be getting what I wanted. I always did.

"Do you know where we're going anymore?" Poptart caught up to me.

"I can read," I glanced at a maintenance map of the sewer system on the wall that couldn't have looked more upside down to me. Then I looked over my shoulder at the cute purple sprinkled boy behind me, "Can you?" I asked with a smile.

He blinked, "Uh…I never got a chance to finish my education."

I shrugged, "Maybe I could teach you then."

"Shouldn't we get out of here first?" Poptart glanced around, like somehow that was going to find the exit.

"The Ninja didn't want us to find a way out. If we're lucky, we'll get rescued by some Fort ponies before we're eaten alive by some Sewer Lurks." I stopped then, hearing a noise.

"Don't tell me you jinxed it." Poptart raised his gun.

I frowned, "We can't have stumbled on a nest…" we turned the corner and Poptart ran straight into me, dropping his gun into the muck. "Don't make any sudden movements." I said in a calm hushed tone. There, right in front of me, was an oversized, irradiated Hearthswarming Island red crab. I'm sure the creatures had been cute once, but now they were terrifying.

Poptart, directly behind me, couldn't see what I could and he said, "What is it?"

The Sewer Lurk screeched, outstretching its claws. There were two more behind it. "Lurk?" his voice had rose an octave.

"Lurk." I nodded, unlatching my sidearm and tossing it to him, "Time to show me how strong you are big boy," I threw in a wink as well.

He caught my pistol, hint hint, and I took out my big gun, a modified laser rifle. "This should burn right through those red shells of yours," I snapped at the snapping claws.

I fired off one shot, and it zinged off the shell of my target. It screeched, feeling the burn, like a bandage. No, it used its shell to give it high defense and it was going to be difficult to break through that. If we got through this alive, I was making out with the stallion behind me, no questions asked.

Time to get serious. I switched out the power cell pack for my rifle, replacing them with modified ammo. I had to up the power level to its max, becauses I wasn't playing games. You could see it on my face, I was about to play my ace. The next shot I aimed right at the crab's face. "Don't mess with me," a trail of smoke was left burning in the only opening in the monster's shell. It was yelling but I hadn't killed it yet.

Using the only weapon he had left, the 10mm pistol I'd tossed him, Poptart aimed true and finished the job. "Good job, but there's two more."

"Don't worry boss," he smirked at me, "I'll take the one on the left."

"Big talk," I laughed and shot a few rounds into the one on the right. It skittered about before it decided to come straight at me, "Just like you, eh?" I said straight to its face just as it got close enough for a point blank shot to the brain. It fell before my smoking rifle.

Poptart shot at his, but his bullets were too small and this one had just decided to get smart. It skittered to and fro, avoiding Poptart's bullets. "Faust, come at me!" Sucker Punch screamed, then he ran straight for the beast.

"What are you doing?!" I yelled, moving for him, but it was too late, far too late.

The thing swiped its claw and sent Poptart flying to the other side of the passageway. "Faust no!" I saw my past in the stallion I wanted to protect as he was cut away just like the ponies of Midtown all those years ago. I wouldn't let him become them. "Get up soldier! I won't let a Lurk take you after what we've been through. What I've been through…" I moved toward him. The Lurk moved with me. He wouldn't get up.

I could save him, but no, this was his kill, he had to get up! What was I doing? I was killing him wasn't I? Just like I killed his mom, his dad, his infant sister. I didn't have to be there, I gave the order, I told my hoof-soldiers to do it. I held my hoof here though, but it was doing the same thing. The irony of it was clear in the blood about to be spilled. But oh Faust, he proved me wrong, he shot up like being brought back from the dead, took aim and fired. The Lurk was pushed back, not slain, but here he was, Poptart standing up after being swiped down.

"Faust, I'll kiss you!" I lunged at him, planting a kiss on his lips.

"Boss steed!" he gasped.

I stared in his eyes, feeling his breath against my lips. "I can't believe I'm doing this." I put my hoof under his head, lifting him to me. He lifted his gun, shooting the Lurk and killing it. I kissed him like I meant it. I couldn't stop myself. I don't know how long I'd wanted to do this and now I was finally getting it. "Sir, I—!" I pushed it further, and I felt his hooves on my back. "I'm not into stallions though!" he gasped against my lips and I felt his body move against mine, moving closer even if his words said the opposite.

"You were so into that Orange Juice, just like I was."

"You're right," he gasped, but he was still kissing me.

"What do you mean into me?" the kiss was broken as we both turned our heads to look at the small rescue party led by Orange Juice with his head cocked. Cute. As. Ever.

 _ **(Chapter 37 posted 5/27/2018 at 2:00PM CT**_

 _Whoa whoa whoa, what?! I'm finally back? OMG, so sorry it's been so freaking long, but I hope this heart pumping chapter makes up for it! At 2 in the morning no less. How many of you will even see it? Well hopefully you enjoyed that because Combat's burning heart is burning up the pages of this fanfiction. A shocking past mixed with a steadfast future? He knows what he wants and why he wants it and he is going to get it. Big reveal? Well, maybe not just yet. There's a lot of missing pieces to his story still lost in the dark. We just gotta pull them out. We're gonna see exactly how that's done in the next chapter! The big one is coming up. Sorry I've been inconsistent however, there's a lot going on and I'm just not sure when the next chapter is actually going to be. Until then though, love you guys!)_

 **Brohoof! /)**


	43. Chapter 37 Summoning Circle Part 1

**Chapter 37** Summoning Circle

 **Part 1** Street Rats

Orange Juice

I saw two horsies on top of each other…or something. I was kinda confused, but wasn't I always? I didn't understand why Combat Zone was kissing Poptart like that. And were there three dead snappy claw thingies there in the mucky water right next to them? Something weird happened here and it made me feel weird too. I think Wonder noticed that, because he nuzzled my neck with his nose.

"Did you guys, um, kill those thingies?" I nodded toward the monsters and gulped.

Combat stumbled upward from his position atop his hoof-soldier. "Um, y-yes, we did!" he then narrowed his eyes at me, "You can't judge me filly! I'm the raider leader who almost took what's mine. As always."

"Ex-raider. Right…?"

Poptart slowly stood, "Yeah. Ex-raider. Boss." he glanced Combat Zone up and down and his whole face turned pink.

"I can see you guys got lucky," said Wonder, licking his lips. "That was three of those Lurks, against just the two of you."

"Enjoy the show?" Combat asked, "How long were you standing there?"

"Not very long." said Tip his head tilted.

Rig smiled like an oaf, "But long enough!"

Combat stepped forward, looking angry. I wasn't sure if he was gonna hit them or yell at them, but there was no chance to do either. Rising up behind the two ex-raiders was a huge scary monster. "King crab!" I yelled.

"No, king Hearthswarming crab," Wonder corrected.

"Wait what?!" Combat spun around, fumbling for a footing and nearly falling backward into me. I pushed him back to a standing position, my hoof on his flank. His eyes widened and he whinnied.

"By Faust!"

The king crab was taller than the other three, and smaller crabs, about half its height, were crawling on it. It's screech shook the entire sewer system. "Helmets on!" I called, maybe a little light heartedly, and I activated the power saddling's helm. With the touch of a button, my minigun lifted up on my shoulder and I used SATS to take aim and spray that thing with bullets. When I came out of SATS, Combat dive bombed for the water, Poptart smashed into a wall trying to dodge and everypony was yelling.

"If that thing doesn't kill us then you will!" Combat yelled when he popped up, mouth spluttering with dirty water.

"What were you thinking? That thing's defense rating is through the roof!" Poptart was quivering, climbing to the ledge to avoid me.

"And my bullets have a high strength rating. Don't they?" I was smiling inside my power saddle, but that thing was still standing and I think all I'd done was make it angry. "Oh come on!"

"Look," Wonder had hold of my hoof, pulling me backward, "Unless you break its shell or hit its tiny face, you won't break through."

"We've got just the trick!" Rig and Tip were moving forward.

"Everypony get behind us." Tip stated firmly, like he knew what he was doing. I thought he did, but Combat Zone's expression said he didn't.

"Rig, buddy, you ready to show what the Twin Mages can really do?" Tip glanced at his brother with a smile.

"You got it bro!" Rig giggled.

They then dropped all pretenses and their faces were nothing but serious. Both their horns began to glow, Tip's gray and Rig's yellow. It made me think of Combat Zone. Awg, just when I thought the two stupid heads couldn't get anymore adorable! I just wanted to rub their heads. Maybe they were big meanies, but they were my friends too and they were so cool!

A caution tape colored orb formed above their heads, in between the two, and it began spinning really fast. At that point they shouted something that only they could understand and a pillar of light shot out of it at the king crab. It yelled in anger, but when the light faded, it stumbled and lost balance, falling backward in a big brown splash of nasty sewer water. However, two more smaller ones rose up from the water.

"Watch out!" I screamed.

"Not again," groaned Combat.

I entered SATS and aimed for each of their faces. 30% chance to hit. I was never one to give up though. I always took chances and 30% sounded wonderful to me! I released it and when I did, the critters were pulverized. "Blam and blammo!" I yelled, jumping up and down in happiness. Tip and Rig were holding each other tight, cowering for their lives. The creatures were dead though so why were they cowering? "Hey, I finished it, so we're all gonna be ok!"

"After you put that gun of yours away," Wonder winked in my direction.

"Oh," I glanced over my shoulder at the minigun, "right."

"Before you do some major damage," Combat added. I think he was implying something else, but I really didn't get it.

"I think we should probably get going," Poptart spoke up. "You guys know the way right?" he had one hoof raised.

"Yeah, and we should probably be fast. The Guardian is making his way to this place called Union Rags Station?" I looked up toward the ceiling with a sense of wonder in my eyes.

"Oh?" Combat glanced toward the ceiling too, making ripples in the water when he moved forward a few paces. "A train station old pal?" he chuckled. Then he broke into a peal of laughter.

* * *

Combat Zone

 _I could almost imagine a time when these old abandoned freight cars actually moved along these tracks. Now they were nothing but dead weights with no way to ever move again. This was a broken world, with broken ponies. We did all we could to survive. It had been almost six months since that fateful day that I had become a raider. I had painted Equestria with the blood of many settlers who stood in the way of our leader. I did whatever I wanted, and I enjoyed it._

 _"Were we not told that we would find stragglers in this area?" I turned at the sound of my best friend's voice. Circle of Ash stood in the middle of the railroad, barking orders at everypony. Faust I was proud of him. All the raiders were scared to death to him. I thought that was great. They were scared of him and that meant they were scared of me._

 _"Ladies!" I yelled. "Who do you think you're dealing with here?" I snapped. "If we don't bring in stupid little ponies for our leader's amusement, then I will bring you in for my own amusement!"_

 _"If there was anypony here, there isn't anymore." said one of the raider ponies._

 _I lifted my hoof and smashed it down right in his ugly muzzle. When I brought it away his nose was dripping blood. "Sir!" I glanced over at another raider, who was over by a car, "There's tracks here, soot from the coal."_

 _"Finally!" I shouted, "A pony who knows his place."_

 _"Well," said Circle in a smooth tone, "I know mine." he had rolled open the door of an rusted orange train car, and cowering between two boxes were a filly and colt. They looked probably a couple years older than I was, which means I wouldn't feel guilty about killing them in front of our leader. Wait, who was I kidding? I would never feel guilty about something so simple._

 _Circle climbed into the car, slowly and gracefully, like he'd planned it his whole life. It was the way he did everything. It was like he was born to be a raider. His ruthlessness and power were my two favorite qualities about him and that is why we were best friends. We worked well together. Everypony saw it, which is why we had risen in the ranks so quickly._

 _"Tell me, exactly, where the rest of your rat pack is?" said Circle in the coldest and smoothest voice I'd ever heard. The shivers it gave me told me that he meant business._

 _The filly sat up, "R-r-rat pack?"_

 _"You can't call us that!" the colt sat up, standing in front of his infantile sister. Was he really defending her right now?_

 _"I. Just. Did." and with not even a twitch of his eyelid, magic burst from his horn and in a pillar of cold, dark, evil the colt wasn't even a speck of dust in the wind. The filly screamed in utter horror and despair. A pile of ash was left in his place. "Rats are exterminated." he said. Putting a hoof under the filly's chin at a squeak from her, he said, "But they can become pets if they play nice."_

 _"I-I-I—"_

 _I smirked, "You squeak like one too. How about it filly?" I winked at her._

 _She took a few shaky breaths, before she got up off the floor of the car and after taking a look at the pile that used to be her brother, or whatever he was, she said, "I will never help the likes of you, and you will never know where my friends and family are. This train station is not yo—"_

 _Yet another pillar shot up around the filly. Yet this was different. I had seen red colored magic from Circle, black colored magic, and white colored magic, but I had never heard of him using dark blue colored magic. This was that, powerful and cold and furious. He didn't just turn this dog to ash, he pulverized her and fed her battered body to the incinerator. All the while she screamed louder and more blood curdling than when she had screamed for her brother's death. When it was finally done, she was just another pile of ash on the wood paneled floor of this car._

 _"Circle!" I gasped, "What in tartarus were you thinking? She and her stupid little colt partner in crime were the only ones that could help us flush out the rest of their family."_

 _"And friends," said Circle, and I saw the spark in his red eyes, "and we don't need the help of any wasteland scavenger. I know where they are."_

 _"Fine. Lead the way."_

* * *

Orange Juice

I wanted to giggle too, I loved laughing, and smiling was my favorite. But for once I didn't get the joke. "Uhhh, what's so funny?" I asked him.

"Oh, the old demon is just reliving old memories. It's hilarious." Combat Zone stomped a hoof, giving one last guffaw, and splashing water about no less.

"I happen to love train stations!" cried Wonder, his voice echoing down the sewer tunnels. "So, let's get our asses," he pointedly eyed my booty, "moving, because we've got a villian to face."

"Villain, pfft," that almost made Combat burst out laughing again. This time, I laughed with him.

OOO

My map, that I totally knew how to read by the way, led us to a sewer exit just outside the station. Thanks Pip-Buck! I climbed up first, then turned around and reached for the outstretched hoof of Wonder who was climbing up next. I pulled him up, smiling and blushing. We helped the rest up and then we closed the hatch.

"What in tartarus were you doing?" right behind me was the Guardian, helmet up and just as intimidating as I had first met him.

"You burst through a skyscraper window!" I blurted out.

"What?" the Guardian lowered his helmet.

Pumpkin popped into the frame, "I've always wanted to know too ya know!"

The Guardian glanced at her sideways, "Know what?"

"How you even got up that high! It was so high," Pumpkin waved her hoof, then walked off shaking her head.

The Guardian spluttered, almost not able to find words. "That's not the point! You took a huge risk."

Pumpkin ducked her head in from above, "It wasn't taken in error!" she sang.

I stomped my hoof, "We need him! He's a raider. He should be there to fight Circle."

"Right, he's a raider, which is why we should have left him behind. They can make their own way. For all we know, they disappeared because they were plotting against us."

"First, I'm right bucking here," Combat snapped, "and second, I'd love to plot against you but that would work against my first priority, which is taking down Circle of Ash." he promptly shoved past the Guardian.

"Wait!" I gasped. I ran after him.

A tall tall mare got in the way and I skidded to a halt in my tracks. "Let him be," said Ashe Erza. "He needs some time alone, but he'll be okay."

"H-how can you be sure?" I looked up at the scarlet maned mare. Faust she was majestic and beautiful.

"Because he's your friend. He might have been incriminated once, but here he has redeemed himself. Believe me young stallion, he could not have done that without you." Lady Ashe smiled down at me.

"O-oh!" I gasped, and my voice shaking, "Did you just call me a stallion?"

"You've come a long way Orange Juice." she smiled. "You're here at Union Rags Station ready to face down anything, and alongside you, you lead a squadron of your friends. Haven't you seen that?"

I glanced over my shoulder at Wonder, who was laughing along to a joke our gunman had just told. Tip and Rig were on their backs, rolling around in the street. Pumpkin was bouncing on by and she glanced over and waved at me. I blinked a few times and looked back at Lady Ashe, "I guess I have."

"You've become a leader OJ," she nodded before she turned for the station. "Listen up everypony! This is it. Once we move inside, there is no turning back." soldiers from her camp were gathering to hear what she had to say. "You may be under my and the Guardian's command, but if you wish to turn back, you are not deserting. This is a dangerous mission, one I fear many of you may not come back from. It is not cowardice to retreat now."

"Not a single one of us would dare leave your side, Colonel, ma'am!" shouted a charcoal colored pony wearing a helmet and a shiny badge on the front of his combat vest.

"Thank you Lieutenant!" she nodded at him. "Then we are ready. Squadrons five through eight, you will move around and storm in from the front. The rest of us will remain on the south side of the station, using their distraction to take the ashlings by storm."

All around, ponies began to move. That's when Erza came to me, the Guardian and Combat Zone behind her. "Teams one and three, you will be pairing up."

At the exact same time, Combat Zone and the Guardian both shouted at the same time, "What!?"

"I don't understand what's wrong," I asked, looking between the three of them.

"Team one is your team Orange," said Erza.

"And team three is mine!" Combat shouted.

The Guardian turned to the Colonel, "This is absurd, even for you!"

"Nothing is absurd for me! And I know exactly what I'm doing. We are also running out of time. Now, teams together! Guardian, I'll be joining your team! It'll be great to work together again. It has been ages!" with that, Ashe Erza turned on her heel with a hearty laugh and went on her way. I looked Combat in the eyes and gave him a huge smile. He did not look pleased.

"Just know, filly, that I'm doing _my_ own thing. You aren't the boss of me." Combat told me.

"I know!" I exclaimed. Leaping at the stallion, I hugged him tight, "You're my friend!" When I drew away his whole face was awash in a blush. "Now it's time to go!"

I put up my helmet, and went to join my team. It was finally time to move. We were going into the train station. We moved past a ribbed metal wall, Wonder beside me and Pumpkin bouncing along just behind him. I was in the front of the group, and the the gunman and demolitions expert at the back. On the other side of the wall was a row of railways, freight cars all lined up in a row. "I've been working on the railroad!" I called out.

"Shhh!" a bunch of ponies shushed me.

There was nopony around, and the train yard felt dead. My armor clacked hard against the rough ground with each step that I took. I knew now was not the time to play games. We needed to be serious. I admit it was really hard for me when all I wanted to do was play ninja leapfrog with the railroad tracks. Though I had to admit that it was strange that it was so silent.

I could tell everypony was on edge. Combat Zone the most. He was tense, diving between different train cars as though hiding from the many ashlings that waited for us. The many ashlings that still hadn't shown their faces. I could tell that Combat needed some action, he was restless and looked angry. I think we were supposed to be stealthy. He no longer cared.

Yelling, Combat burst forward, "I've had enough of this! I know you're out there. Show yourself!"

He was in the middle of the tracks, chest puffing in and out. He glanced back and forth between different trains. I thought nothing was going to happen, that the ponies hiding here didn't wanna play anymore. Then there was a loud noise, a whistling sound filled the air. Next came frantic dinging and the ground began to shake. "What's going on?!" I called to my friends over the noise, lowering my helmet.

"Train!" Pumpkin shouted bouncing up and down.

I saw the engine coming along the tracks, chugging. "Choo choo!" I hollered. What? It was exciting! Then I realized the train was on the same track that Combat was standing on. "Combat, watch out!" I ran at him, shoving him out of the way. Just when the train struck. It slammed into me head on. I felt the weight of it like a crushing unrelentless force. It came to a stop and I fell over flat on my side. There were warnings all over my EFS screaming that the power saddle was badly damaged and that two of my limbs were crippled and that my HP was dangerously low. I wanted to sit up, make sure Combat was okay. But the sky was turning black, dots were forming in my vision.

"OJ!" came a familiar scream, pulling me back. I glanced at the face of the pony who was ripping my helmet off and tossing it to the side. "Faust what in tartarus were you thinking?"

"Wonder—bolt?" I coughed.

"H-here, you've got Health Potions in this saddle bag dontcha?" his face was awash with worry and fear. He was digging through my saddle bag and when he pulled something out my EFS said -1 HEALTH POTION. Wonder lifted the glass bottle to my lips, pouring it in gingerly. I nearly choked on it, I could barely move let alone gulp down a liquid. Strangely enough, I didn't hurt. All I cared about was Combat, and if my friends were okay right now. Where had that train come from and why was it so mean, big and strong?

"Wh-what's that noise?" I gasped, when in my ears I heard some _pop, pop, pop_ sounds.

"Don't you worry about that Cutie," said Wonder. "That was a brave, stupid thing you did. Stupid." he bit his lip.

There was a crunching sound, hooves over gravel, the pebbles that were laid between ever rung of the railway. "Filly!" Combat Zone exclaimed. "Dumbass!" he was focused on something ahead of him. He was firing a gun at an enemy I couldn't see. "Is he okay?" he barked at Wonder without turning his head or losing focus on his target.

"He'll be fine, I just gotta get this saddle off him." Wonder sighed.

"So soon?" Combat was smiling, then he moved off.

Wonder smiled, shaking his head. "Alright Cutie, I'm gonna help get that off ya." I nodded. Ever so slowly he put his hooves under my head, lifting me up. I stared into his eyes, seeing there were tears forming there. "I'm gonna be okay," I whispered to him, trying to comfort him.

He opened up the chest piece so he could undo the legs. "Okay, now can you move?" I tried to pull my leg out, but my EFS popped up another message saying my limbs were still at low HP. It really hurt to move. "Come on OJ, I know you got this."

"It hurts!" I groaned. But I had to push through it, I couldn't bear to see that expression on that colt's face. I pulled my leg from the saddle's socket, and my Pip-Buck disconnected from the saddle. No more circular gauges, just the normal HP and AP rulers, and the lighting went back to green instead of orange.

"One more," said Wonder.

I pulled my hind leg out, and shoved the armor to the side. It had sparks coming from it and the core made a whirring sound then faded out. It was damaged beyond repair, no longer usable. I fell into Wonder's arms. When I looked up at him, his mouth met mine. There was no denying it, the feeling that I felt when he kissed me. If I could move my legs I would wrap my arms around him too. But it was just fine like this. I didn't realize how bad I'd wanted to kiss him and I don't think he'd realized the same about me.

"Aww, isn't this sweet," said a malicious voice nearby.

A pink pony wearing a blue cloak stood over us with a cruel smile, licking his lips. His eyes were a burning red, all the way through, and his ears were very large. He looked like a bunny rabbit. I giggled. Wonder broke away from me to stand up to the creepy looking pony, "What do you want eh? It's your train car that did this to him."

"Mine? I don't own it. I don't own a thing. But I want to. I want to own you…" his eyes glowed bright. Wonder took a step back, breathing, "Faust…"

"Come out to play with me," whispered the stallion. Wonder backed away a few paces, then tripped over the railroad, falling flat on his butt.

Shakily, I pushed myself off the ground, I forced myself to stand. "OJ, don't!" Wonder could barely speak, but his eyes were on me. "Leave my friend alone!" I stammered, taking a defensive stance against this Red Eyes pony.

"Right," he whispered, "Like that could deter me." he turned his creepy stare on me. I stared deep into his eyes, and when I forced myself to glance away, I saw him for what he was, a bruise blue long maned mare, her red eyes like burning voids, ready to devour her enemies. Her mane was scraggly and damp, brushing against the dry ground, and her bluish-black coat looked dead and thin, her white skin showing from beneath. The ashling cloak she wore was a scarlet, like blood, and billowing in a passing breeze. "I am Red Eyes, there is no escape, only death awaits."

"No!" I yelled, facing her down. I just got up from being hit by a train car. Wonder helped me, now I would help him. Using all the strength I had, I summoned magical energy, my horn aglow with my turquoise aura. I tugged at the minigun attached to the back of the broken armor. He felt weak, like I would tip over if a butterfly landed on me. But I wasn't going to be weak against the creepy dolly pony standing in front of me, laughing maniacally.

"Auuughhh!" I yelled and the minigun came free, in all its weight, lifting into the air and turning to face Red Eyes.

"Holy crap, Cutie," Wonder had a look of awe in his eyes and he smiled at me. The minigun revved up, the barrel spinning and turning red. Then the bullets sprayed forth, tearing into the ashling. She screeched, but when I was done, she was down. "Good," I said, and the weapon fell from my grasp. I dropped to the dust, those black dots finally turning my vision black.

* * *

 _"You just kissed me!" Tide gasped as I pulled away as though I was sucking the breath from her. Her body lifted then fell as though I was breaking a connection between us._

 _My eyes widened and I stared down at her, "Oh! I don't know why I did that."_

 _"No, that's okay," Tide shook her head and smiled up at me through the tears in her mascara._

 _"But you don't like me," my voice quivered._

 _"Why?" Tide snapped, "Because you're a colt? Or is it because of Rose?"_

 _I nodded but I didn't know which one I was saying yes to. "Well forget her okay? She had her chance. What do you say me and you become a thing?"_

 _I furrowed my brow, "What do you mean a thing?"_

 _"Ugh, you colts are useless! Why don't you just kiss me and find out what I mean."_

 _So I did. I kissed her deep and long, and I think I was feeling something for her. I didn't understand it, it was new and weird. New was good, and it felt right to do the wrong thing. I giggled against her lips thinking about it. I kissed her on the cheek, then on the neck. "No no," she put her hoof against my chest, "That's not what a relationship is all about, at least, not the way they should be when I read romance novels."_

 _"You read romance novels!?" I gasped._

 _She hit me playfully in the chest, "Of course I do, I might be a bitch but I'm not cold hearted. I feel things."_

 _"What's a romance novel?" I asked her._

 _She hit my chest again, "I can't believe this." she shoved me, rolling me over and landing on top of me. Pecking me on the lips, she said, "Would you like to see one?"_

 _I nodded my head vigorously, "Oh like Bookworm?"_

 _"What do you mean 'like Bookworm?'" she asked me with a low growl and her eyes narrowed._

 _"Yes!" I shouted, "Yes, yes, yes! Please," I added at the end with puppydog eyes._

 _She gave me one last glare before rolling off the bed and strolling to her dresser. "Well, let me see here. Romance, romance, romance…" she muttered to herself as she rifled through the drawers. "Oh! Faust no, that's erotic!" she tossed a book over her shoulder where it smacked the door and slid to the floor. "And those need washed…" she tossed a pair of small lacey panties across the room "Oh," I gasped when I saw them._

 _"Now is not the time for that," she said pointedly, staring at my crotch. I moved my hooves over myself to cover, sitting like a dog._

 _"Are you always this messy?" I said to her, taking my eyes off the undergarment._

 _"Ugh!" she gasped in shock at me, then smiling mischievously and stating firmly, "Yes, usually."_

 _"I wish I had a lot of stuff to toss around and play with!" I ogled at her messy bedroom, actually enjoying it._

 _She waved me off and turned back to the dresser, "Faust, here it is!" she lifted a petite looking book from the drawer, "My favorite romance of all time."_

 _"What is it?"_

 _"It's called Herd and Prejudice." Tide said as she set the book down on a pillow and laid out next to me, on her belly._

 _"Are you going to read it to me?" I was doe-eyed._

 _She rolled her own eyes, "I'll read some of it, but I doubt you'll understand it."_

 _"I just…I just like listening to ponies read!" I protested._

 _"Excuse me? Somepony else has been reading to you?" she rose a brow._

 _"N-no!" I coughed._

 _"Better not be." she turned back to the pages, opening it to the title. There was a black and white inked image of a stallion walking up to a mare._

 _"Why don't they have faces?" I asked her._

 _Tide turned to me in frustration, "Ughhhh! It's because the artists in that time didn't wanna draw them. They were lazy!"_

 _"Hmm!" I nodded, feeling satisfied by the answer. Bookworm was never so straightforward._

 _Tide smiled, "You might be stupid and annoying, but you're my stupid annoying and I think it's actually pretty cute."_

 _"I'm not stupid annoying! I'm stupid and curious!" I snapped, standing up for myself._

 _"Curious about romance," she laughed. "Can I read it now? I think this book really represents us."_

 _"Huh?" I cocked my head, one of my ears flicking._

 _"Well, don't repeat this because I never thought I'd hear myself say something like it, but I'm actually a lot like this stallion," she touched the picture, longing in her eyes as she stared down at it._

 _I blinked, "You're like a stallion?"_

 _"Don't look at me with those mismatched eyes like that!" she shoved me and I nearly fell off the bed. I stuck my tongue out at her. She shook her head and frowned down at the book, "No… I guess it's because I'm cold and mean, but I have a lot of respect for ponies that deserve it. Same as Barley, the stallion._

 _The mare, well you're a lot like her. Free spirited and independent, when she's able to be. Mostly trapped by a society that looks down on her. And, the two hate each other for most of the book."_

 _My eyes widened, "If they hate each other then how are they in a romance novel!" I shouted in confusion._

 _"Maybe if I ever get to read it, you'll find out!" Tide shook her head but she started laughing. A shrill beeping sounded from her Pip-Buck._

 _"Wha? Whazzit?" I jumped, startled._

 _"Oh by the Overmare!" Tide cursed under her breath, looking at a notification on her EFS and tapping a button on the Pip-Buck. "The party's over! Queue's up…"_

 _"Oh…" I felt dejected. I wanted to stay here all night with her. I perked up, thinking it was an excellent idea! A slumber party, or a sleepover or whatever mares liked to call it. "What if I stayed with you?! Here?"_

 _"Here?" surprisingly, the red devil mare didn't look angry or frustrated about the prospect like she usually might've been. I had expected her to call me stupid. "Honestly, I wish you could. I don't want to be alone tonight. But it'll look suspicious if I extend your queue tonight. But it's definitely a consideration for the future."_

 _"Oh…Okay…" I lowered my head again._

 _She kissed me, making my heart flutter. "UP, don't look like that. We just started dating, and I really don't want my first coltfriend to feel like shit because of something I did."_

 _"Of course not!" I smiled at her, "Tonight was an awesome night!"_

 _"That's good, at least Rose's party wasn't a complete disaster like I thought it had been."_

 _I giggled, "It wasn't a disaster, lots of ponies got to have party favors and eat the food and drink the drinks and—"_

 _She held up a hoof, "I get it, I get it! It was a disaster for me, not them, UP. Sheesh, you stallions can be dense."_

 _"Soo," I twiddled my hoof around in the sheets, "I don't know what coltfriend means, but I'm your first?"_

 _"Well yeah! But don't get any ideas. I'm not inexperienced you know. I've had marefriends before."_

 _"Mhm!" I bit my lip. I still didn't know what either of those words meant._

 _She pushed herself up from the bed, "Okay, time to go."_

 _"Back to my cell?"_

 _She pursed her lips to the side, then sighed, "Never thought I'd hate taking one of you donkeys back."_

 _"What's a donkey?" I asked as I followed her out of the room._

 _ **(Part 2 up next**_

 _It's been awhile, but I wrote a really long chapter for you guys. Long enough that I had to divide it into 3 parts. Anyway, I wasn't kidding with these flashbacks. I wanted to create a storyline with Tide and things just got interesting. Herd and Prejudice huh? Horse puns! Gotta love em. Also hoping to give a little more insight into Combat and Circle now. There's always been something about Circle, even from a young age. Also, Pumpkin Spice is great, right? More "fourth wall breaks" (per say) later. x3_

 _Also, you wouldn't believe how long I've wanted to get to this! I have named so many chapters Summoning Circle, only to realize we were nowhere near the battle with Circle of Ash and changed the names to new chapters. I even almost split this into 3 more chapters, but I wanted to post it for ya and thought it'd be crazy to post three whole chapters in one day. So I posted 3 whole parts instead. Let me tell you they are long lmao! Each all almost 12-14 pages each! Hehe, I did work hard on these, actually stayed up till 2am one night. Enjoy this! ;)_

 _Well, I've got two more parts for ya, so let's get right into it! XD_


	44. Chapter 37 Part 2 Distant Memories

**Part 2** Distant Memories

Guardian

Already, shooting had started up all around us. Nopony had hesitated the moment we had stepped through the gates of the trainyard. However, there was something weird about the bullets the ashlings fired. It was as though they were made of something other than metal. This couldn't be right though, they couldn't all be unicorns, or magical.

"But they are," said Erza, walking up beside me and ducking behind some big metal crates I was hiding behind. I lowered my helmet and looked her in the eye. She shrugged, "You spoke aloud."

"I'm getting tired of this stalemate!" I growled my frustration. "I'm going into the station. I need you to cover my movements." I started forward, raising my helmet again.

She put a hoof on my shoulder, "I'm going in with you."

"What? You can't!"

"My battle is not out here and you know it. Now, if I may, I think I have a solution to the problem at hoof." she smiled, then stepped forward into the yard. "Now dance, my blades! Circle Sword!" a trio of power blades appeared around her, but they moved too fast for the eye to see. I was sure only Ashe Erza could track their movements. But to me and anypony else, they appeared as a singular beaming circle made of blue light spinning around her. Yet I knew of this, these weapons had once been laid out in front of me.

The Dawn Shard, a sword of pure mechanical light, crafted in a secret laboratory that only Erza had ever visited, a place known as Wraith Wall as she had once told me when she'd placed the strange weapon in front of me. Next, the Thundara Brand, a blade that burned bright with the powerful sizzling electricity along its blade generated by a small generator that worked throughout its black and yellow hilt. Lastly the Void Edge, a devastating dark blade that she had hesitated to show me. She had spoken in hushed tones of its home.

" _It went by many names, in its time."_ the mare had stated. " _The Tower of Heaven, The Mirror Still Shrine, but Twilight and her Ministries knew it as the R-System."_ the scarlet maned mare shivered where she stood. " _Little but ruins now. Not much of a tower or a system."_

I remember her story, I was one of the few she trusted with the knowledge. She had once worked as a slave to rebuild the tower, but the construct fell apart easily at the hooves of rebellion. She'd heard it on the radio, the 'good fight', and stopping the slave herders. She had been the one to gather her friends and stop them. There was always something she never told me though, something she kept to herself. I remembered the way she stared at that sword. I just hoped it wouldn't come to light now.

Now she was the protector of these three great swords, all of mechanical genius from an age long past. She used each in one of her most powerful requip Knight Class Sword Magic spells. I remember basic training with her, when I was still a Puppydog. She would practice combat magic and vowed to be an S-Class soldier, and I vowed to be just as smart and strong as my Guardian. I remembered those days looking at the brave Colonel I saw before me now.

Lightning, Day, and Eternity, all combined into those swords and one attack. In a disc formation, she shot the weapons off in multiple directions, and ponies fell before her in wide berth. She was creating a path for me to the building that once used to be a famous train terminal for commuters meaning to go to all corners of Equestria. We were on the outskirts, the scrap yard, where the dust and bones lie. But once we were in there, we would make our way for the grand terminal.

"Now Guardian! We make our way!" Erza gestured me for her, her swords vanishing. I shot after her, firing my rifle into the crowd. This wasn't the big guns, but it took care of keeping the Circle raiders off of me.

We made it to a ramp that led up to an overlook. I stopped at the railing, turning to survey the battleground. Fort ponies against Circle ponies, looking like all out war. We were also outnumbered easily 10 to 1. How there were so many raiders, I could not understand. I didn't need to. All I knew was that this was wrong. I was glad the Colonel was with me, because the two of us would put a stop to it.

"Guardian! Colonel, wait up!" Roseanne ran up the ramp, Lockwood just behind her.

Lockwood smiled at me, "Turns out not all of them are as powerful as they think." he held up a pack of lightning charged magic bullets for his pistol.

"You got those from one of them?" I asked skeptically. He nodded. "You've got an affinity for it dontcha?"

"It's like I can smell lightning from a mile away," Lockwood winked, then rolled his head to pop the kinks in his neck. Just preparing himself for the next part of the battle ahead. "In we go then?"

"In we go."

* * *

Ashe Erza

The door slammed shut dangerously behind the four of us. The moment it clicked into place it felt like we were stepping into a completely different world. I felt it, a presence similar to that I had felt in Crow's Calling. The air grew cold, and the flickering lights ahead did not help to ease the atmosphere or ward away the shadows. I took it one step at a time, moving slowly. I did wish that the Guardian wasn't wearing such bulky armor, it made such noise!

It most likely did not matter. The witch was here and she was aware of us, there was no doubt in my mind. She had feelers out, her influence soaking the walls, seeping through the tiles on the floor. We walked through what was once workers' chambers, where paperwork was filed, tools were stored, phones were answered, or ponies came to rest when they did not have the time to make it home for the night. We passed offices and long halls for rooms with workbenches inside. It was a mixture of the executives' and the conductors' rooms.

I could imagine a time when this place was filled with the hustle and bustle of busy bodied ponies. Workers stained with soot, officers drowning in records, secretaries annoyed by angry consumers or over demanding bosses. It was all nothing now, dust and shadows. Here was a blackboard that was falling from the wall, a room where the rafters had fallen in, areas where chunks of the brick walls were missing, places beneath my own hooves where tiles were damaged or gone altogether and underneath rotting floorboards.

A chill filled the air as we came to a small lounge. Across the way was a window with a desk behind it, a hallway branching rightward and another continuing straight. To the far right wall stood two vending machines, one for snacks and one for Sparkle-Cola. There were a couple benches on the southmost wall, and a small side table between them. Lockwood moved into the lounge first. He picked at some old blackened papers on the side table, "Eh, old magazines that barely survived the fallout. Oh, ooh!"

"Put that down!" Roseanne scolded.

"Can't tell me what to do," he laughed. Then he moved to the vending machines. "In luck!" he whooped, "They aren't out of drinks." he popped open the glass containment unit in the front of the machine and pulled out two glass bottles of the popular soda. He passed one to Roseanne. Popping the cap and shoving it into a saddlebag, he chugged his drink.

"Isn't this refreshing." came a cold voice, so icy it seeped into ones very bones.

Facing my enemy, I stated clearly, "I was told of you."

"Where you now? It must've been my dear sister. She's such a plaything. Nothing more though, if she was defeated." The witch eyed me. Her pointed hat was folded at one point, and there was a large blue bow tied around it. She wore a blue cloak, a large dark red orb holding it in place.

"Raven." I stated coldly.

"Boudica, Queen of Warriors. It's lovely to meet you."

I took a step toward her, not perturbed. "What is this? Formal introductions? You stand before me as an enemy, and therefore I will cut you down as such."

"Go for it. I've been waiting for awhile. My patience is at the end of its rope."

I knew that all eyes were on me. I'm not sure why nopony moved. I would have thought that at least the Guardian would take action. But I think they realized they had no jurisdiction here. If I needed it, my friends and allies would come to my aid. For now, however, this was my fight. I could accept that, as easily as I could summon a weapon to fight with.

"Requip!" I yelled, and I rose a hoof to catch my blade. I ran at the dark mare, but her eyes glowed white, and when she raised a hoof, a black orb of magic shot from it, and my sword shattered into dust. "Incredible!" I gasped.

"Come on now, you'll have to do more than that!" with the same dark energy, the mare known as Raven summoned her own blade, formed of that magic. She held it with two hooves.

"You are quite funny," I stated with ease. With a simple thought, I held two swords, balancing on my hind legs. I ran at her, slashing with might.

With one strike, my weapons were sliced in two as though they were mere loaves of bread. "How could you? My prizes!" I had won those in the New Pegasus Strip!

"Weak," Raven said.

"Gah! I won't have it!" I lifted my hooves, "Sword of my ancestors, I call on thee! Dawn Shard!" Out of the corner of my eye I saw the Guardian shift. It was news to him that this sword I now held was a sword passed down to me. I had stated I found it in the ruins of a Ministry lab. Wraith Wall. It was true. Moreover, the lab was named after a stallion whose blood ran through my veins. I did not know how many greats lie before the title of grandstallion, but he was in me and his sword was mine.

"The power of harmony? Something melted from the crystal essence itself? They never got to name it, how sad." Raven didn't look sad. She was smiling.

"Oh, they named it. It rests in my hooves." I did not speak lightly. This sword was ancient. It transcended even the thought of the great war.

"You know what else they named? The Dusk Shard." Raven giggled, looking like she'd stolen the world. But she lifted up a sword that had a blue hilt and a black blade. It looked quite the opposite of my own sword.

"How can this be?" my eyes widened. Then in one swoop, she smashed the Dawn Shard out of my grip where it clattered to the floor, and disappeared in a flash of light, back to my repertoire. "Thundara!" I yelled, and caught the next weapon. The blade crackled with electricity. I attempted to swipe this demon before me, but she laughed and did the same. The sword flipped through the air.

"Oh such a tool," Raven yawned, used the Dusk Shard to her lips to stifle the sound.

I watched it and then I saw Lockwood lunge for it, his eyes flashing with what looked like hunger. He licked his lips, and when his hooves caught the weapon, a bolt of lighting struck the ground in front of him. I had to leave it be for now. This Raven left me with no choice. Black birds were omens of death. However, I had an omen all my own. I summoned forth Void Edge. It was surrounded by deep secrets. Secrets I was too afraid to reveal to even the General. I carried with me this burden, but it was my burden to carry as I always had since I was just a filly.

"Face your end heathen!" I screamed, and I tear rolled from my eye as the weight of my soul bore down on the witch.

"Teehee! You have played your role well!" Raven's eyes bulged.

"Exactly what role is that?" I cried, my sword falling on her like an executioner's blade.

"You have played the fool!" then her eyes lit up and her hat blew away in a flurry of powerful wind. Her cloak billowing, she tossed her sword to the air. Her black magic flared up, and she leapt for me, coming straight at Void Edge. She must've known she was facing certain death.

Her hooves curled around what belonged to me, and it tugged. It felt like she was ripping away my soul. Something so deep and personal that it could only be a part of me. Nopony else could be allowed to bear this. She disregarded me and disrespected my buried past, ripping it from the ground like a careless grave robber. I screamed, and more tears fell as memories surfaced. "What are you doing!?" the demand tore from me, I couldn't bear the pain of the past.

In the witch's hooves she clutched dearly to Void Edge. Her magic curled around it like slithering serpents. She seemed to be consuming it, or at least its energy. No! She was locking it in place, putting it in a standstill so that it could later be used for her own purposes. But to what end I could not know or understand. That was a lie. I understood it just fine.

"Thank you Your Majesty, but I must bid the Queen of Warriors adieu. For you have given the King of Demons exactly what he wanted."

I shook my head, my tears falling to the floor, "Why would he want that?"

Raven began to fade away, and as she went she was taking the sword with her. I reached out, but I felt worthless. She was returning to shadows, but had some final words, "I think you can answer that for yourself, I mean, you should, because your friends are going to want to know." At that point, she was gone and her voice was only an echo off the crumbling walls.

* * *

Orange Juice

Opening my eyes, I groaned at once to soreness throughout my left side. "Oh, he's finally awake." came a gruff voice.

"Combat Zone?" I blinked up at him. He was leaning against the wall.

"Orange Juice!" Wonder could barely contain himself, but his voice was low. He crawled toward me.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"Shhh!" Pumpkin sprang up, "We have to be _quiet!"_ her whisper was nearly as loud as my voice.

"That goes for you too sweet potato." Combat told her firmly.

"Hey! I'm Pumpkin Spice, not Sweet Potato!" she went to confront the ex-raider leader.

"We're inside." said Wonder. Then he pointed at a sign, "We're at Crossing Point, near the grand terminal."

"What's the grand terminal?" I cocked my head, then realized it hurt to do even that. My neck was stiff. I lifted my right hoof to rub it, and realized I was laying on my side on the floor. The floor was cold and my first thought was of a blanket.

"Where in Union Rags Station, the actual station, not just the lumber yard out back." said Combat, who had finally gotten the mane stylist to shush up.

"Hey! It's rude to make somepony shush up." Pumpkin put her hoof down. She was ignored.

"What's going on then? I don't remember going to bed here, or the fight, where's the fight?" I glanced around.

"For the time being, we needed to recuperate." said Wonder.

"At least my HP is better," I was looking at the HP bar stating I was above half way but not quite full.

"That's good," Wonder nodded.

"We need to move," Combat stood. "I hear gunshots."

"Can you stand?" Wonder asked me.

I nodded, "Yeah, I'm gonna have to." I got up off the floor slowly, feeling wobbly. The world spun around me, but blinking helped it stop.

"I want you to be okay," Wonder reiterated.

"I will be," I reassured him. I resisted the urge to kiss him on the cheek.

We made it to a grand entrance hall, with long benches spread out through the hall, big old orbs with numbers and pointers in the centers. Some of them shattered, some fallen over or missing, but a few still standing. Everything was a dark wood, and the orbs standing on black iron. This was where the shooting was. There were some of our soldiers in here, the groups that had went around to the front. They were fighting from the other side, against ashlings that hid amongst the waiting areas and terminal counters.

Combat raised his weapon, cocking it with a smile. "Faust, I'm going to enjoy this." when he aimed, he was spot on, taking out an ashling before he could take out one of the soldiers.

"I would've thought they'd be stronger than that," said Tip.

"Oh, they are," said Combat, just as the air wavered violently and the body vanished.

"That was unbelievable!" Rig's eyes were wide.

Combat said, "It's because—"

"It's because Circle of Ash is summoning them back!" Pumpkin bounced up and down.

"—Circle of Ash is summoning them back." Combat blinked back at her as he finished his sentence at the same time.

She shrugged, "Whaaa _aaattt?_ "

I interrupted them, walking almost into the entrance hall, hooves at the line between the connecting corridor and there. "Do we _have_ to shoot them?"

Everypony turned to look at me, confused. "What?" Combat narrowed his eyes.

"Why can't we all be friends, like Combat and his raiders?" I asked. I noticed Poptart glancing between me and his leader.

"They're different," Combat said quietly. I had to step toward him to catch it. "They aren't just raiders. They've drank the kool-aid and they can't go back."

"Ooh, that's not in either of the au's being crossovered here!" Pumpkin giggled.

"Nopony has any idea what you're talking about." Poptart stared at her, shaking his head but smiling. "As always."

"I know what I'm talking about, and I'm a pony." Pumpkin exclaimed, standing right in front of Combat, "I'm talking about kool-aid!"

Combat started to shake his head and Poptart opened his mouth, but shots rang off, bullets hitting the walls on either side. They were aiming for Pumpkin. She jumped to the side, and we all hit the floor to dodge the bullets. My body protested the pain and I groaned. I saw Pumpkin Spice jump up, an angry look on her face. "Hey! How dare you! I was having a conversation." she stomped her hoof. More bullets flew. Running forward Pumpkin jumped up, pulling a short pink tube out of her saddle bag. No, two of them, one for each forehoof. "Glitter bomb!" She flipped the caps and glitter burst forth, exploding in the faces of the ashlings.

"Whoa!" I shouted as we all stood up from the floor. "That was—"

"An explosive experience!" Pumpkin yelled, standing next to me. "I know." she said with a smile.

"I've never heard of glitter bomb grenades," said Poptart.

"They aren't grenades!" Pumpkin waved him off. "Now come on, it's time to kick some badguy bootay!"

"Yeah! Bootay!" I exclaimed excitedly, trying to to jump up, but it hurt to bend my knees far enough to push myself into the air. Eh, I was still excited to be stopping Circle of Ash and the ashlings alongside my friends.

Time to be serious, if that was even possible. I pumped my combat shotgun, trying to make a serioius expression. By the way an ashling looked at me I think I just looked silly. I didn't care. It gave me enough time from his hesitation to shoot him in his mean face. I really hated having to kill them.

Wonder and Poptart were side to side, one facing the front of the hall the other facing the counters. "I'm glad we have you guys fighting with us." Wonder said over his shoulder.

"Me too, but it's too bad we never found any more survivors."

We were doing it! Actually pressing the ashlings away from us. Maybe we just weren't fighting the strongest right now. "This can't be all they've got," said Combat. "We're missing something."

"Like what?" I asked him, shooting an ashling who was aiming at us. He fell backward with wide eyes.

"It's too easy," he said in response, "and Circle is never easy. He would surround himself with the strongest. I only see failures here."

"Failures? Who you calling a failure boss?!" somepony called with anger in his tone and a stomp of a hoof. He had stopped shooting and his cloak was slowly falling off.

"Wait what?" Combat narrowed his eyes at the ashling. "Mace?" the raider blinked. Then he looked plain confused.

"Boss? How'd I get here? Where is here?" he stumbled forward, dropping his weapon.

"Hoof-soldiers!" Combat glanced around at all the ashlings. I saw his expression. Something was off. "We aren't fighting ashlings. I recognize these ponies! First off, I'm pissed. Ironically showing me how weak my own ponies are. Secondly, how dare he trick me like this!" Combat stormed toward the terminal gates.

"Wait! Where are you going?" I called to him.

"We need to get to Circle. All this is just a distraction." Combat snapped, then ran off, vaulting over the countertops.

"Come on!" I called to my friends. "We've gotta help him."

* * *

Ashe Erza

I stood back, not quite believing it. "This is terrible."

"What's terrible?" the Guardian had a hoof on my shoulder. I shrugged him off. "Hey, what's so important about that sword?"

"You don't understand," I sent him a withering look.

"Then help us understand," Lockwood said in a gruff tone.

"Be more sensitive," Roseanne shoved at him.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my senses and find my center. I had to take this with ease as I always had or nothing could come of any fruition. It was so difficult to just sit down on the bench and speak of it. My dark side. "It's a long story." I stated.

"I can take it." said the Guardian.

"Go on," Roseanne nodded reassuringly.

I shook my head, looking around, "We don't have much time to get into it right now. I don't know what Circle wants with the sword, but it's more than just a weapon, and it's very dangerous."

"Then we better move," said Lockwood before anypony could say another word. "Before he can use it for what he wants. Right?"

"You are very right," I said, standing.

Lockwood moved forward, lifting the yellow hilted weapon he'd caught earlier. "Colonel, this is yours."

I smiled for the first time since my battle with Crow's sister. "Keep it. It suits you much better than it suits me."

"It does?" Lockwood held the sword closer to himself. Subconsciously he glanced over his shoulder at his back. We all had a past. I could only guess at his, but I was a powerful unicorn and he may be an earth stallion, but he didn't need magic bullets or enchanted swords for great power.

"Now then, to the business of finding Circle of Ash," the Guardian was glancing down the corridor. "How are we gonna do that exactly?"

"We're getting close." I stated matter-of-factly.

"How can you know that?"

I was able to see the darkness the witch had left behind. It was a trail to follow, breadcrumbs leading to the gingerbread house. She had never had any qualms, and she was well aware of what she had done. She wanted us to find her, she wanted us to find Circle of Ash. I did not yet understand the answer to why this was the case, but I would soon find out. I didn't waste a second in going forward. The others were only left to follow in my wake. They were left as mystified by my decisive actions as ever.

It took us on twists and turns through the back rooms of the station. I knew we were being led into the deepest and oldest parts, a once historical place. How? With each passing second, the architectural style got older and older, the dust thicker and thicker.

"Where are we going?"

I glanced up at the walls, where a wooden sign was hanging, albeit crooked. I brushed off the dust, and the word carved in and embossed in black was Roundhouse. "It's a train house, meant for storing cars or turning them around." I said.

"There's something else," Roseanne pointed out, moving forward and touching something carved into the sign more recently by a knife. It was a crude replica of the symbol of the Circle of Ash. The five sided star inside of a circle.

"It can't be coincidence," I breathed, "that the place we will find Circle of Ash is shaped like a circle."

"Evil mages need ritualistic places," said Lockwood.

I turned to him, facing the sad look in his eye. A rare vulnerable moment in him, a rare moment for all of us. It was gone in an instant but I knew it when I saw it. "We aren't so different Lockwood."

"Now isn't the best time, Colonel." he shook his head with a laugh.

"It certainly isn't."

We continued forth, getting close. Voices could be overheard, echoing off the walls. It was unclear what was being said, but the voice above the rest was chilling beyond compare. "I shall take the lead here. We are not alone."

We turned the corner, finding doors our final barrier. Roseanne and Lockwood went to either side, guns up and at the ready. I nodded to the Guardian, who nodded back. We were both on the same page, and I knew we were ready to move forward. We both ran for the doors, kicking them in. The four of us moved into the Roundhouse, tracks all around, large garage doorways enclosing trains in their own stables much like us. Some were open and many shrouded faces could be seen within, waiting, watching and listening. Across the way on the opposite platform were OJ and his team.

Down below, in the center of all the rails, was a hooded figure. I had this sense, a feeling of unease I could not be sure of. I got the strong sense of familiarity. "It's the strangest thing." I fell back, letting the Guardian take the lead.

"What's wrong?" he tried to make eye contact with me.

I could not take my eyes off the pony in the center. He was tall, standing above the acolyte beside him. Within his hood his eyes were a glowing red, like shining rubies. Those eyes were permeating, and it was like I knew them from some distant memory. I tried to recall that memory, but nothing could prepare me for this moment. He lowered his hood.

"Hello Scarlet."

 _ **(Part 3 up next**_

 _The battle with Raven was more of an awakening for Ashe Erza. Some interesting things about her past were just revealed, but the biggest plot twist is still to come. Please, leave your comments! Now, forward to the last part. ^^_


	45. Chapter 37 Part 3 Full Circle

**Part 3** Full Circle

Orange Juice

I saw Ashe Erza try to backup a few paces, but her butt hit the doors that were closed behind her. I bit my lip to hold back a giggle. _Butt._ She looked horrified, and I didn't understand why. I couldn't see who this pony was that was standing in the middle of the circle, but she seemed scared of him. That was weird, the Lady Ashe couldn't be scared of anything!

"By the Goddess," she could barely talk. "Jaker!"

"You know him?" the Guardian sounded shocked. He even lowered his helmet.

"I have the same question," said Combat Zone, who stared angrily at Erza. "You can't possibly know this stallion. He's been in my life since I was a colt."

"Not possible," finally the Colonel strode forward, looking down on Circle of Ash.

"Don't tell me what's possible wench!" Combat yelled.

"Oh, now Combat, don't speak out of turn. You told me once any friend of mine was a friend of yours." Circle of Ash turned and lowered his hood, giving the scariest smile I had ever seen.

"That was before we slit his throat." Combat snarled.

Circle of Ash had black fur and a darker black mane that curled devilishly around his long curved horn. "Right." he looked pleased at the memory. That was creepy.

"No, that cannot be," Erza looked back and forth between Circle and Combat. "I knew this stallion as a filly, he could not have been with you."

"A projection," said Circle. "One I could not have made without you," he told Combat. "I did it to infiltrate the ranks of that silly raider village. But you, my oldest friend, were the one to summon me forth. Such a beautiful thing." The way he smiled up at Combat was sickening, and I wanted to hurl. I didn't know why I suddenly felt sick.

"Don't talk to me about beautiful things." Combat spat. "What we had was beautiful, a bond and shared leadership over hordes of raiders. We could've had this town together. Then you betrayed me. Again and again. This was the last straw of hay." Combat stepped to the edge of the platform, preparing to jump down.

"You could just take the stairs you know," Circle smirked. "I'll have Kitty open the gate."

Across from us, Erza's eyes went wide, "Kitty? Where?!"

"Right here Ashy!" The mare beside Combat lowered her hood, "It's pleasant to see you again." her fur was a light red and her mane a dark brown, spikey. She had a high pitched voice.

"Kitty, how could you?"

"Simple, but none of your business." she turned on her heel, and I noticed another pony waiting for her. A pale pony with a dark purple mane, nearly black, wearing a purple cloak held in place by a dark red gem.

She smiled toward Erza. "It comes full circle," she said, her voice echoing against the walls.

A sword was presented to Circle of Ash. "No! Don't do this! Kitty, you know this can't be right."

"You don't know anything, but I used to think you did." Kitty harrumphed.

"What is this sword? Erza, you must tell us," the Guardian reached for her, trying to look into her eyes.

She looked up at him, and I saw tears in her eyes. I didn't know it was possible for her to cry. But I shouldn't be surprised. She wasn't the first pony I had thought that about. She bit her lip but sighed, "It's shaped from a powerful stone known as Lacrima."

"Lacrima?" the Guardian narrowed his eyes.

It was Combat who answered, "Long ago, back before the war, before the rise of society even, there was just Equestria. A place created by a goddess. It was said the goddess shaped the land when she cried. The tears of Faust, also known as Lacrima."

"Ah, so you remember that old verse, the one I told you when we were so young," Circle was smiling wide.

"It's much more than that and you know it Jaker. You may have known him Combat Zone, but I know him much better. You only knew his phantom. I knew his soul." Erza was crying.

"Why is she sad? I don't want her to be sad," I looked around at my friends.

Wonder took my hoof in his, "It's gonna be okay. Just listen."

"Then speak oh Colonel," Combat shouted at her, "What do you know about my best friend that I don't?"

She shook her head at him, looking downcast, "For one, his name was never Circle. It is Jaker. He was once my friend just as he was yours." she turned her gaze on the pony in question, "You were so much better than all this, once."

"No!" he laughed, "You don't see, but I'm better now than I ever was. You didn't want to complete the mission given to us, but I know better."

"There's a reason Twilight abandoned that project!" Erza shouted, trying to reason with him.

"There is also a reason the slavers picked it back up."

"I won't let you activate this ritual again!" Erza screamed. "Guardian, Orange Juice! We have to get the Lacrima!" she pointed at the sword.

"Lacrima? I don't understand anything about tears, but that looks like a sword to me," I tilted my head in confusion.

"Ashlings, now is the time for greatness!" Circle commanded. "Hold these deceivers back! I need time to awaken the stone and activate the circle!"

" _Yes my King,"_ came the voices of all his disciples. They all wanted to please him. They began to pour from the woodwork, attacking us one on one. They easily separated us, and we were then locked in individual combat.

Erza looked to Kitty. "Please, you don't want to fight me. We are friends."

"Oh," she smiled a cat like smile, with sharp cat like teeth, "but I so do!" then she shot out a bright red whip, using it to pull at my hooves. She was trying to trip me. "You're the one who doesn't wanna fight Ashy!"

"But I will if I must." Erza closed her eyes, against the pain. "Requip!" An armor she liked to call Heart Rose appeared on her. Powerful metallic breastplate and shoulder pauldrons covered her. On the chest was a huge heart, a rose curling up in the middle. It also had a skirt, a thick cloth that could deflect bullets and dampen magic, a similar attribute to Wonder's cuff spikes.

"Oh! Yay!" Kitty clapped, "I always loved this armor, back when you tried to lead us out of the Still Shrine." she cracked her whip, and I felt it reverberate throughout the entire outfit.

"I will serve justice, and will not let you get to me. You have been deceived by a foul beast, all of you. I don't know what happened to dear Jaker before we left, but I intend to face him myself!" She shouted, before summoning the Rose Red Sword and bore it down on her opponent.

"Gah!" the Guardian faced down his own enemy. An opponent he had already faced and was determined to beat. "So, here we are again, _Missy_."

"I do so hate it when you say my name," she sneered, baring her teeth angrily at him.

"Good," the Guardian smiled smugly, "I hated it when you ran away like a coward from our fight."

"Back in the library?" Missy asked with a shake of her head, "I am not a coward. Haven't you ever heard of tactical retreat?"

"Save it! How can you people know anything of strategy?"

"We're winning aren't we? Ha!" she laughed.

The Guardian lifted a flamethrower, "Not for long. I remember your games. I won't let you trick me again."

"I'll just switch places, easy."

"You can't hurt me with a stream of fire that'll dissipate before I can reappear." the Guardia laughed. _Who's master tactician now?_

"Try me!" she yelled with a wide grin. " _Manipulation Magic! Spatial Rip!"_ multiple multicolored orbs appeared in the air all around, making it a minefield of dangerous magic. One misstep and the Guardian would be torn to shreds in seconds. "Now you'll have to get to me first!"

"I'll be there before you know it!" the Guardian snapped, moving forward, and working to avoid the orbs of magic around him.

"Ooh, I can't wait!" she clapped her hooves.

"You won't be able to hurt me!" Wonder snapped, "Not while I'm wearing this," he smirked, raising his hoof so he could show off his spikes, "I do love accessories, don't you?"

Stingray chuckled, "They can be quite useful, I agree. But there will be no more tricks."

"That so?"

"See, I've worked up a spell, one that will keep you from turning my magic against me. But dampen it all you'd like, that's all that piece of junk is good for now."

"We're strong though," Rogue circled around Wonder and I, keeping us trapped up here on the platform. I really didn't think I liked them, but I wasn't sure either. I knew I could see the good in ponies, I'd done it so much before. There was something different about the two of them. Too bad that they were badguys and we would have to kick some butt. Rogue continued, "Our magic can eventually overpower any dampeners, and defeat you." He smirked at Wonder, looking like he felt superior. Nopony could beat Wonder! No way!

"Leave him alone, you're not stronger and we're gonna beat you!" I barked at him.

"Yap yap yap, I do so hate dogs." Stingray rolled his eyes.

Meanwhile, Pumpkin Spice was searching through her saddle bag for something, anything, to get herself out of a sticky situation. "Alright fine, you got me!" she sighed. "But dontcha wanna celebrate your victory?" she stared at the strange pink pony in front of her. She wore a brown scarf with frilly lace on the end, and a white button up cloak. Underneath she wore a pink sweater, the arms dragging, longer than her legs. She had big flappy ears. "Cheese!" she screamed.

"I don't have cheese," said Pumpkin. "How about confetti instead?" she smiled and pulled out an air gun, another small tube with a handle on the back. She pulled the handle, and razor sharp shards of confetti shot out, slicing little cuts all over the ashling.

"Hey, not nice! That hurt!" the pony cried out. "I'll get you back!" she held up a plate. On the plate was a delicious looking pastry covered in frosting, and sprinkles. Lots and lots of sprinkles.

"MMM," Pumpkin licked her lips, "I _love_ sprinkles!"

"You smell it?" she held the plate toward the party pony.

"Oh why not!?" Pumpkin leaned toward it, smiling. "Waittttt a second, I know what you're trying to do here. It's gonna explode!"

"No! It's sweet, yummy, very yummy. Smell?" she looked so small when she pouted and gave big watery eyes. So sweet. Pumpkin loved sweet.

She leaned forward to smell it and the witch of sweets shoved it in her face. "Bebe didn't like trick!" she yelled. Then the frosting exploded. Pumpkin jumped back before she could get the worst of it.

"I knew it!" she used her tongue to lick all the frosting clean off her face. "It was gonna explode!"

"Awww! Let's have a pity party then!" Bebe stomped her feet in a tantrum.

"Hey! We're not gonna hold up easy out here!" yelled the gunman and demolitions expert. They had our flanks, out in the halls, but the ashlings were crowding in, three to their two. Not terrible, but not good either. "They have us pinned down!" there was a yell. The gunman slammed to the floor. "NO!" Bullets were flying, and that's the last that could be seen of that battle, as the doors were pushed closed with a bang.

Lockwood and Roseanne were fighting together, a few ashlings had ganged up on them. They had to protect the Colonel and the Guardian. All that mattered was getting to that sword, at least according to the Colonel. If the ashlings could push their advantage, nopony would be able to make it. So Lockwood pushed forward, taunting his enemy, "Go for it hotrod, you haven't seen anything from me." he showed off the lightning sword he'd gotten from Erza.

"You want to eat lead?" Roseanne waved her weapon at the ashlings coming toward them. She had a large machine gun, one she had with her the whole time. She had saved it for the big one, this one special battle that would be the turning point. With this, she hoped it would turn in their favor.

"Try us," hissed the ashlings, "You'll find we aren't as easy pickings as the worms in the train yard."

"You'll find that we aren't as easy going ourselves." Lockwood snapped and rose the sword. It charged up with yellow energy, and a large powerful lightning bolt smashing into their enemies. The ashlings were yelling, but when the smoke cleared they were coughing and picking themselves up.

"Now you've gone and done it. Pathetic!" the ashling swept his cloak about him, and he charged up his own magical energy, his horn glowing.

* * *

Combat Zone

"Good, good!" Circle of Ash was immensely pleased, "Everything is perfect, and you've been a good girl Raven. All of you have," he surveyed his ashlings. "The Twin Dragons for bringing me the dark magic from the library. Crow for making Erza weak to you. Missy for giving that false Guardian a rival to keep him busy." he circled back to the center of the ring. "Now for the finishing touches."

Touching it, white light flared up. Everypony would be too preoccupied to notice. " _Awaken oh summoning circle. The pieces have been gathered. Activate tears of the goddess!"_ he lifted his hooves, in them Void Edge. When he released it, it remained afloat in the air above the center of his circle.

"Circle!" came a yell. I leapt off the platform before any of the ashlings could move forward to keep me busy. Tip and Rig followed me down, desperate to help me, and ever loyal. "No, you two stay back.

Tip looked mad, but Rig answered, "Very good boss stallion! We'll just watch ya kick his butt outta town!" he nodded vigorously.

"Yep yep," Tip shrugged, and the went to stand by the wall.

"Oh, come to reclaim your rightful place beside me?" Circle was too cocky.

"Not in this lifetime, bub." I growled.

"Sad, but in all honesty, your position was denied long ago." Circle shook his head.

"Want me to dispatch this heathen," said Raven.

Circle held up a hoof, "No," he stated clearly. "This is all mine. You can go to your sister. She needs you." Raven bowed her head and disappeared.

"I'm going to stop you."

Circle just smiled. "You always could stand up to me. Then again, I was always a part of you in a way that could not be refused."

"Stop talking your nonsense. Like we're still friends." My eyes were full of fire and fury and I was ready to kill.

"So we fight then? It wouldn't matter. My spell is nearly complete."

I ran forward at full speed, throwing a punch as hard as I could and knocking Circle flying to the dirt. We rolled, and it was me who landed on top of the demon. "Not if you're dead." our faces inches apart.

Circle's warm expression fell cold, and the air grew dead around the two of us. I could feel it in my bones. He was charging a spell. I didn't have time to scramble away from him. A pulse of his magic exploded forth, expelling me. I smashed into the wall, high above, then rolled a few inches downward before just dropping through the air and hitting the wooden platform. "Uuughhh," I groaned. But I had endured his magic, his rage, before. I could do it again.

I had a few words for this monster. I had thought he was my greatest friend. I had had him in a time when I needed him the most, when all I was was a raider and I had nopony else. I had the other raiders beside me. But our leader was a failure, and we weren't a family let alone friends. We all hated each other more than we hated the world, and that's not what a raider group should've been. I thought I needed Circle of Ash. But I had to shed that skin. He was never a shield. More like a vacuum.

"You planned your whole life to not just infiltrate the ranks of our original raider group, but to take over the one I built. When that failed you thought a partnership was okay. But I wasn't okay with some sort of magic council, of stupid little ashlings. I'm a soldier with an army, and you're a demon with a cult. But you had to betray me. You had to take everything from me.

You can't win here, because guess what Circle? You already took my life from me! My whole life, flashing before me now, and as I think about it, ever since we colts, you owned me! You owned my life, even my soul. I summoned you! I sold my soul to the devil. Well, I'm here to take it back."

Circle's eyes widened in horror when he saw what I was prepared to do. I took a few paces backward, to get a running start. Then I leapt off the ledge, hooves outstretched for the purple sword floating in the air. This was the thing he needed wasn't it? I would take it like he took everything from me. And I would use it to kill him.

"Wait! You can't do that! It isn't a true weapon! It's more of a ceremonial sword!" Circle was backing away, but he was running out of track. I latched onto the hilt, and my jump took me to the top of the arc and then straight back down to my best friend and worst enemy.

"Your summoning circle has come to an end." I said, and my eyes burned. What was this? Did I have something in my eye? I never thought that the end would make me cry. But it hurt to lose my friend, I just never thought about that till now, when I had to be the one to kill him myself.

* * *

Ashe Erza

"It's more of a ceremonial sword!"

I spun out of an attack on Kitty to see Combat Zone falling like a shooting star on Circle of Ash. No, more like an angel of death. His intent was to kill. Kitty's pressed advantage fell away when she saw what I was staring at. I screamed, "Jaker! No!" I ran for them, I had to stop this, stop Combat from killing the best friend I'd known since my foalhood.

I leapt through the air, prepared to take that blade. "Ashy!" it was like Kitty had snapped from a dream, for she reached out, shoving me at the last second. I was sent sprawling away from my target. As I spiralled down to the tracks below the platforms, I had to watch as Combat stabbed Void Edge straight through Circle of Ash, like he was some sort of shish-kebab. That sword had brought me more pain than anything else in this wasteland ever could. Now another thing to add to its treacherous legacy. "No!" I cried.

"Jaker!" Kitty screamed, running down some steps into the circle. She tripped, falling beside me.

"I'll be okay," Circle of Ash choked, blood spilling from his mouth. Combat Zone backed away.

All around battles were pausing, coming to a standstill. Missy stood on the side of the Roundhouse I had come through with the Guardian. The Twin Dragons with OJ and Wonder. Pumpkin Spice had a weird pillowy thing with a big face on it, sprinkles covering it. I would not question it. Missy glanced to Rogue and Stingray, her eyes narrowing. Rogue opened his mouth, looking like he meant to say something to the unicorn, but he couldn't bring himself to, looking down on his fallen master. There was a new light in his eyes like he felt bad about something.

"You've got a big old stick in ya Jaker!" Kitty cried out, "How are you gonna be okay?!"

I stood up, "You wanted this all along, didn't you?"

"What?" Combat looked between me and Circle.

"The sword is ceremonial. And with the sacrifice of powerful magic, the ceremony is complete and the R-System can be activated." Circle didn't smile however. He didn't look to be satisfied with what he had accomplished. He was going to die. How could I bear yet another tragedy brought on by that fowl Tower? How could I bear the stain of the death of my foalhood friend.

"Ashe Erza." Jaker coughed on the name, blood splattering the ground. "Scarlet."

"Please," I choked, but on words, not blood.

"I said I would always remember you, by that vibrant mane of yours." he smiled at me, then his knees bowed and he fell forward. He barely caught himself, and he came to a resting position. The sword sank deeper into him.

"Faust!" Kitty looked ready to spring at any second, but she was kept frozen in place.

"I am not gone." Circle of Ash proclaimed. "This is only the beginning my ashlings!" he was done playing the role of friend. He was only a demon now. Combat jumped back as Circle ripped the sword from out of himself. The magic of it was a swirling blackness and it burst forth. "How would you like to join your King in revitalization! In gloryful rejuvenation!"

" _Aye!"_ came the cheers of his followers.

"Then die beside me!" he smiled wickedly, and the darkness seeped through the floorboards, shooting up in pillars through the ground. It was everywhere, and like spike traps in the floor, it pierced the hearts of ashlings all around the Roundhouse, all throughout Union Rags Station. The perfect place for a Summoning Circle that had been left unchanged by the actions of Combat Zone. In fact, it was very clear to me now that Circle of Ash had intended for his death to take place. I knew what the R in R-System stood for. Resurrection.

"No!" Rogue screamed when darkness flowed through him. He grabbed onto Stingray, who was experiencing the same pain.

" _Manipulation Magic, Field Reversal!"_ Missy screamed into the raging field of death. "I will not allow you two to die. You two were my family before all this." she stared at them with tears in her eyes, from their original positions on the platform. They now stood where it was safe, down below in the Summoning Circle.

I saw something then, an orange little colt who had a huge rebel heart. He ran full speed at Missy, ignoring the pain that was clearly written on his features. He pushed her over the edge, his momentum taking him with her. Next came Wonder who was wondering what in tartarus the colt was thinking, and Pumpkin, who simply bounced her way off the edge of the platform like it was nothing. She landed like a feather. The Guardian was already halfway down the stairs on the other side, Lockwood and Roseanne not far behind.

"Missy!" Rogue ran to her, but he looked pissed, "That was reckless!"

"I know I mistreated you in the past, but that was all on my father's account. I want to leave that all behind us." she grabbed onto Stingray's hoof, squeezing it, then let go and did the same for Rogue, "Rogue, you have always deserved to be in my place, and my father's."

"Is now a good time?" Stingray rose a brow.

"Yeah," Rogue frowned and shook his head, "If we get out of this, we are all having a serious talk."

The railways were alight with Circle's powerful mana. White beams made the rails leylines for his evil magic, channeling it for the Summoning Circle. Void Edge, awash in the master's blood, powered those leylines, the Lacrima glowing a sickly purple and emanating that powerful black darkness. Circle was evil beyond anything Equestria could possibly imagine. He had killed every ashling and every soldier within the station that did not now reside within this protective circle.

"Jaker, where have you fallen to?" I despaired. But it was not Jaker I peered into the eyes of. Combat Zone truly had summoned a demon, and I was devastated. Jaker had fallen, and once again Void Edge plummeted into him.

"Augghhhh! By Faust!" he screamed. But his ruby fire eyes glowed more brilliantly than ever before. " _Take this sacrifice! I beg of thee! Summon anew! R-System awaken now!"_ in a flurry of shadows, Circle of Ash burst into mist. He was no more. Then came a rumbling.

The lights were out in the station, but the devastating destructive magic was gone. Now all that could be found lining the platforms and terminus were bodies. Hundreds everywhere the eye could look within the station. Mass suicide at the hooves of Circle. He had orchestrated this. But it was far from over. It was like the earth was angry, and it was quaking.

"Something stirs. If we do not evacuate immediately, we will not live to tell the tale." I stated with a firm tone. I grabbed Kitty's hoof. "We must flee." I spoke to everypony, but I gazed deep into her eyes.

"Yes," she had tears forming and with but a whisper, "time to go."

 _ **(Hiatus 5/27/2018 Chapter 38 posted 10/26/2018 at 1:15pm**_

 _Oh how we've come full circle! The worst of this is for Ashe and Combat who didn't know they were connected by Circle, or should we say Jaker? Plot twist! Ashe knew this pony in the past, and Combat really did summon a demon, but not in the way we all thought. Circle knew exactly what he wanted. Well he's dead now...Or is he? The summoning circle activated an ancient ritual that was meant to be put to rest long ago. Now we'll just have to wait and see what happens._

 _How long we'll have to wait for...I don't really know. I have to go on hiatus with this story. The main people who were into it have all but disappeared, and the story this was inspired by hasn't been updated in months. I cannot continue this story until his has ended because without an ending to his, my story can't wrap up either. The endings are interconnected. So, without further ado, I must put this story on hold. It isn't over! And I'm not disappearing either. If I can help it, I will be beginning another story. It'll be the prequel to Shades and Tails, another story I wrote. I had wanted to write this prequel since Shades and Tails ended. Look forward to that guys. Love ya!)_

 **Brohoof /)**


	46. Chapter 38 Raider's Honor

**Chapter 38** Raider's Honor

Orange Juice

I held on tightly to Wonder, not wanting to let go. I knew we needed to run at this point, but the entire time, I had been holding him. Even when that darkness had flared up all around us, and when it was coming straight for us. I stopped to save Missy. She had used her magic to switch places with the Twin Dragons and then send them easily to the Summoning Circle. If I hadn't pushed her she would be on the floor, sleeping forever and ever just like all the other ashlings.

Now we were in the circle of railway tracks in what everypony had first called the Roundhouse and now called the Summoning Circle and all I could do was hold tightly to my Wonderbolt and try not to cry. He rubbed my back, comforting me, and it was kinda working. But now he was coaxing me up. We had to get moving, or we would all get killed by whatever was coming, and end up just like all the other bodies in the station. I really didn't want that.

I looked up at my Wonder, and pecked him on the lips for reassurance, and then I let him pull me to my hooves. "We've gotta run, OJ," he said.

"I know," I nodded, and we ran together. I kept pace with him, or he kept pace with me, I didn't know. Either way, with our friends, the two of us were still together.

There was this shrill terrifying sound that arose from the train station then. It pierced the heart, travelling through the ground and vibrating through my hooves. I knew I shouldn't look back, but I really couldn't help myself. Blast my curiosity! I think I'd heard somewhere curiosity killed the cat. At least I wasn't a cat. I had to let out a puff of air at that, to stem my nerves, because I was too scared to giggle. What I saw slapped the smile from my face anyway. It was like the train station no longer existed. It was a jigsaw puzzle of floating pieces and rooms and train cars. Something was distorting the reality around it and it was slowly spreading its claws to reach out and grab us.

Gravel chunks shoved at my hooves and suddenly I found myself sprawling for the yellow painted lines waiting for me below. I cried out like a filly, and Wonder lost his grip on me in the frenzy. "Up we go!" came a shout from Pumpkin Spice, who was bouncing along beside me like a pogo-stick, and she scooped me up like ice-cream and put me back on my feet. I would've stopped running out of pure shock from the past 3 events—or was it 2?—if not for my Wonder head butting me in my rump and giving me a burst forward. "Like the view?" I tried to giggle at thinking he'd touched my butt.

It was all downhill from here, literally. The road had fallen away, dust sticking to my hooves. I must say, I didn't notice that the sky was weeping, but droplets pummelled my fur. I shook myself off like a dog, but it did no good, and Wonder was yelling for me to keep moving. When did it get so dire? It was at that point a shout scraped the air, someone hollering that the rain was hot, or wet or boiling or something, I'm not sure.

"Set fire, to the rain," stated Ashe Erza in the most serene, surreal voice you could think of. "Watch it burn…"

"As I say your name!" screeched Pumpkin Spice out of nowhere. Everypony looked at her for the slightest of seconds. "What?" she laughed, "It's quite the catchy song."

"It is no song," stated the Lady. "We must seek shelter immediately. Or we will all face the wrath of the name bearer."

"Name…bearer?" the Guardian had stopped in his tracks and turned to face her like she was insane. Perhaps she was, but all the best ponies were crazy. Take it from Pumpkin Spice.

"Yeah, take it from me!"

"He who bears the name has divine right to cast out the deceivers. The first of many rituals. If we are caught in the storm, we are sacrifice," Erza breathed, staring the Guardian down and standing her ground.

"I don't like the sound of that," I whispered to Wonder. He shook his head at me, and winced when a raindrop touched his nose.

"Gas station!" the Guardian called to the troops. "Move, move, move!" he began directing the flow of traffic, moving us forward and through the small glass door of a tiny Party Cannon Gas.

I believe I was the last one in. Ponies were crowded through the aisles, unable to determine a good place to park themselves. I however, was more focused on the first thing I had seen. My hoof hit the cold cold tile of the little store, and my eyes lit upon a pitcher sized bottle of orange liquid. It was like gold! My stomach growled and I licked my lips. Instinctually, like a dog sniffing a bone, I moved toward the drink.

"OJ, no!" Pumpkin Spice retrieved the bottle in one fell swoop and turned it on its end, letting the orange bliss glug out of the thin neck. Well, now there was a huge mess on the floor…and a strange acrid smell in the air.

"Why'd you do that?!" I gasped, jumping at the puddle, but my feet slipped and like a cartoon character, I scrambled for a foothold but was unable to find one. Next thing I knew I was upside down against a glass cooler door and I had a pilot pony in my face, upside down. "All I wanted was to try some orange juice," I pouted, hoping it didn't look like a grin upside down. The thought of that made me smile.

"I know OJ, but we can't have you going and drinking some sour drink."

"Sour?" I would've cocked my head, if I had the motion of my neck.

"I don't want my baby getting sick," said Wonder as he came over and offered a hoof to me. I glanced at the gleaming spikes of his cuff.

I let him help me up, "I didn't know orange juice could make you sick. It looked so good in the red and white striped straw the mare used to drink it up. Hey look! There's a straw in that orange on the sticker!" I leapt at the now empty bottle, seeing the picture of the small round fruit, a bright red straw sticking out of it, striped with white. Huh.

"Alright everypony!" clapped the Colonel. No more time to talk about orange juice. I patted my metal clad tummy, telling it it would have to wait for nourishment for another time. Ashe Erza was on the top of the counter, legs spread wide in a fighting stance that told of power and grace. Only she would make a bold move as to stand on that tiny gas station counter to address us. "The defiler is upon us! The battle has been won, but the war is not over! However, I will not let us be a martyr in this. We ride out the storm! Together we are strong, do not forget this." she hopped down from her perch, tossing her mane.

I went to where Missy lay, her hoof resting over her stomach and her breathing shaky. "Now there's a sight for sore eyes," said Wonder, walking past and winking in my direction.

"Good thing mine are not sore," said the mare on the floor, "I see you are one to talk, stallion, for I believe my comrades defeated you?" she glanced over to where Stingray and Rogue were sitting and chatting deeply and quietly with each other.

Wonder came about, hoofing the ground and grinning, "As if!" I glanced between him and her and stuck my tongue out at her.

"Oh, and here I notice before me a colt who so foalishly decided to spare my life?" she glanced me up and down.

"Foalish?" I squeaked. "Not really. Nopony deserves to sleep forever and ever." I pouted at her.

"I am not sleeping beauty!" Missy guffawed.

"That's for sure," Wonder laughed.

Missy rolled her eyes, then locked gazes with my coltfriend, "Does this colt not understand the meaning of the events that took place?"

"Hey now, I don't wanna hear you back talking my boy," Wonder took a step toward her.

"No disrespect, just trying to determine whether or not he is slow?"

"He's had some…interesting experiences. Not that it's any of your business anyhow." Wonder narrowed his eyes.

I had been glancing between the two this entire time, trying to get a purchase on this battle of wills, but I thought I needed to step in, "Hey, you guys, I'm right here you know." the pair grew quiet and looked at me. Wonder's face was awash in red and Missy looked curious. I felt sorry for her as I looked at her. "I don't know what happened to you in your past, but I think everypony deserves a better future."

"Don't mind her," said a gruff voice behind me. Stingray smiled, "Missy just has daddy issues."

"I shall have your head for this," she hissed, but began coughing when she tried to move.

"Try to take it more lightly," said Rogue, "he means no harm by it. We are family after all."

"Lightly? You're one to talk my master of shadows." but at that she smiled, "Family we are. I know I was wrong by you in the past, but I shall not lead in my father's footsteps. Perhaps a shan't not lead at all." she nodded in Stingray's direction. "If we ever make it back to the clan, I know what decision is best." she closed her eyes.

"We better leave em be," said Wonder, taking my hoof.

He led me to a walk-in freezer door, and underhoof the tiles danced with a brown and white pattern. I smiled, making a trail in the dust as we moved. While a storm raged outside, I heard laughs and chattering inside, where the ponies may feel tension, but at least in company, we felt safe and secure. Wonder rose a hoof to the handle of the cold storage door, when I heard a cough behind us, somepony announcing his presence.

"I wanted to say good job out there." Combat Zone came into the light hanging just above the door. His features looked oddly soft, especially in the shaded blue lighting.

"Fierce raider leader, congratulating us? Fort ponies?" Wonder bit his lip to hold back a laugh.

"Well, maybe I can take back my gift?"

"Gift?" I glanced over at him. There, following closely behind, came Tip and Rig. There horns were aglow in a soft light, a magic that was meant for peace, not combat. Ironic.

In between their twin horns, a soft red cloth was afloat. It was a similar color to Wonder's mane. "Look, I know we've had our differences, but I appreciate what you did for me." Combat nodded at me. "Even after all I put you through, filly," he glanced over his shoulder at his boys, "Ahem—colt—you still came through in the end. Tip, Rig, please."

"Please?" Wonder looked surprised with blinking eyes.

The Twin Mages stepped forward, past their master. "Here kid," said Tip, he and his brother bowed their heads and presented the cloth. In their magic, it slowly unraveled, showing that it was a long scarf. Wrapped up within the soft fabric were two orbs. One was green and one was yellow. "These are us! Yup yup," Rig beamed.

"They're not us, idiot!" Tip elbowed him.

"Oh. Then why are they green and yellow?"

"OJ," Combat spoke slowly, "These memory spheres are a culmination of my legacy, my true legacy. You've shown me I am more than raider. So here, accept this as a token of my allegiance to the Fort." he held up a pouch, and the orbs slipped inside. Then he helped me strap it to my upper leg. "Watch em when you'd like."

"The scarf is for you," Tip nodded to Wonder.

"Yup yup," Rig nodded.

"We all know how you like your accessories," said Combat, the fierce raider leader. He grinned at the other stallion. In the magic of the twins, the scarf wrapped itself neatly and fashionably around Wonder's neck.

He laughed, "Well I'll be damned. It's cute af."

"Eh," Combat shrugged. "What can I say?" he whispered behind his hoof to Wonder, "it used to be mine, and I liked to look good."

"Ohhh!" Wonder nodded knowingly. "I see! You sure know your stuff then, hotrod," he winked and smirked.

Combat shook his head and continued, "It's enchanted. Raider's honor," he paused and I glanced at it, thinking how pretty it looked on Wonder, and on my EFS it was labelled Raider's Honor, "it'll protect you."

"Hey boss, should we go check in with Lady Ashe and the buck?" said Tip, looking up at his leader.

"Yeah, good idea. I better inform the two of our new alliance." he smiled back at me one last time as they all turned to go. "You two have fun now," he laughed.

"Don't you mean the Guardian?" Rig whispered to Tip.

"Yes you idiot!" their voices trailed away.

"Huh, imagine that." Wonder was lifting a hoof, fluffing the scarf. "Well anyway, let's get going, I need some alone time with you." He opened the door.

Inside the air was still but it wasn't cold. "It's warm in here." I glanced around at the shadows jumping around.

"There hasn't been power here in a long time, so no electricity to power to A.C." Wonder told me. He looked at me and shrugged, "Not that I'm complaining, I wanted a nice quiet place anyway."

"For what?" I tilted my head in curiosity.

"For this," smoothly and without hesitation he pulled me into an embrace, caressing my head back as he leaned into kissing me. I squeaked, crawling out of my skin at the pleasant tingling feeling he left on my lips and I brought my own hooves up to wrap around him. He was soft but strong, and he teeth nipped playfully at my tongue, like a game. I let him, and sinking into it, I thought how nice his mouth tasted and how good the tickling on my tongue felt. I moaned and I felt him shudder. "Faust," he pulled back with a long breath and I saw a strand of drool between us, "OJ, that was something."

"Do it again?"

"You got that right," and this time he pounced on me like a cougar, and holding me close on the floor, he made out with me, love and passion in every kiss. "I love you, you know that right?"

"I think so…" I stared up in his blue, gold speckled eyes. He stared back, and we took each other in. "I don't want you to let me go."

"I won't. I promise. You're mine to hold, always, and you know what? I'll make sure I keep you safe always too." he pecked me on the lips, as thought to punctuate his words.

"Oh, get a room," came a groan from somepony nearby. It sounded familiar.

Shifting, I glanced around Wonder to see Lockwood. He was standing there, holding Thundara Brand gingerly, a cloth in his other hoof and a few feet away a small knife. Wonder stood and helped me up. I decided to sit. "Sharpening the blade, eh?" Wonder grinned, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Don't go there. That's gross."

"What's gross?" I perked up, wondering what blade meant if it didn't mean the sword Lockwood was cleaning.

Lockwood considered me for a second. "You know, I'm glad Erza gave this to me."

"Why's that?" I asked him, looking at the yellow weapon. "Is it special?"

"It's made of _magic_ ," Wonder giggled, "right Lockwood?"

"I've bonded with it, in a way. See, I've always had this affinity, for thunder, electricity, lightning."

I nodded, smiling and urging him to go on. "I'm glad you like the sword."

"Me too," Lockwood nodded. "Can I tell you guys something? Stallion to stallion, ya know?"

"Well, I'm gay so I hope that doesn't change how you feel about stallion to stallion." Wonder blew a kiss.

Lockwood laughed, "It's only gay if you make it gay."

"In all seriousness though," Wonder said and the stale air felt slightly more chilly all of a sudden, "you should go ahead."

"Well alright…but I've never told anypony this…"

"Not a problem!" I grinned, and that's when he began to tell his story.

* * *

Lockwood

 _You never know what you have until you lose it. At least I knew that now. I grew up in a decent home at least. You couldn't ask for much in the wasteland and I had that. My parents were merchants, so I was taken to the market everyday. But I always wondered where they got their wares. My old stallion told me he'd tell me when I was older the ways of trade. Oh, if only I'd known sooner, but then, who would have known I'd have to teach myself how to scavenge._

 _It was an ordinary town day, we'd just ride into Bittsberg with our caravan, sell some items to the residents, and we'd head right on back out to our quiet little farmhouse where mother would grow her vegetables and father would rustle about in the cellar with his found things. Today was not going to be like any other day._

 _We saw a commotion up ahead, ponies yelling. In a side alley there was a carriage tipped over, from our rival caravan. I stuck my tongue out at it, whelp, at least we can't be blamed for it. We just got here! But perhaps that should've been our warning sign to get the buck out. Up ahead, traders were being mowed down by the powerful spray of machine gun fire._

 _"Get down!" father yelled to me and my mom. She yelled and moved to cover me with her frame. Poor old mom was a bit skinny, and she was dead in seconds. I felt the heavy weight of her now expired body on top of me, some sort of macabre shield._

 _I tried to glance around, but I wasn't sure where I was and I didn't want to disturb mom. She was protecting me, right? I was moved, and it was dark in this corner. I looked toward the sunlight, where orange flickers of fire from guns kept flashing in the streets. My dad's face appeared, "Now son, they don't want you they want our stuff. We'll just hoof it on over and everything will be okay. You don't gotta worry, kuz I just want you to hide right here. I'll take care of everything."_

 _My dad taught me to be a fighter. He taught me to be strong. Wanna know how? Well, when he said hoof it over, he meant give em the hoof. He leapt into his cart, and when he came back out, he was lugging a 50lb rocket launcher, the rocket plugged in the hole another 5 on top of that. My eyes lit up with pride that my dad was so brave._

 _"Say hello to my little friend!" he yelled. Yeah, little. A rocket barrelled off with a pooft sound from the barrel and there was a bright white and yellow flash. I covered my eyes, but the entire time I made sure to keep one locked on my dad. He was reaching for another rocket, locking it into place at the top of the launcher._

 _He was a merchant, not a demolitions expert. He fumbled with the ball, and that cost him the game. A raider in big bulky armor walked into view. "I can fight fire with fire, little guy." he was toting a big ol boxy weapon, with a nozzle and a tank on his back. Before I knew it, my dad was toast, sprayed with the whip of fire from a flamethrower._

 _I threw my hooves over my head and pressed myself to the bricks of the alleyway. I shivered, feeling suddenly cold. My heartbeat was going a million miles a minute. But nothing happened, nothing came. They must've thought I was dead too, or maybe they didn't notice me. Nopony noticed me normally. Next thing I knew my heart was slowing back to a calm state and the shouting and fighting was moving off, further and further away. There was a loud noise just then, and I tried to look, but I felt so tired. Something wet rolled toward me, painting my fur scarlett. My own blood I would find out later._

OOO

 _Blinking, I found myself waking up in a strange place. I felt dizzy and when I tried to look down at my hooves, I thought I didn't have any hooves! I whinnied, jerking at the disassociation. When I moved, chains rattled, and I looked up, noticing my forelegs chained above my head. There was something off about these chains, but it didn't have time to register because out of the gloom, there came a voice, chilling to the bone._

 _"Hello. What a sad, sad, twisted turn of events for you young one." I saw a hooded pony walk into the dimly lit room, placing a metal object down on a metal table, causing a "clunk!"_

 _I squirmed in my linked bindings.. What did he want with me? I did not know. "Oh, I've come to free you," he told me. I was confused. From where I hung, he was the one who'd imprisoned me._

 _"W-Wait," my voice croaked, "how did you know my question?" I was eyeing the object he'd set down but I was still unable to decipher it._

 _"I have my ways," he noticed me staring and he lifted it. It was a gun! My heart skipped a beat and I thrashed against what held me. "Have no fear! It is yours, yes? I saw it beside your crashed coach."_

 _I stuttered, having no recognition for the gun. ."What do you mean, mine? What coach?" That's when I remembered! The loud crash must've been my father's carriage and this gun must've fallen loose from it. The stallion eyed me from across the room with amusement. "Yes!" I gasped, "It is mine!" I strained toward it, anything to get at the weapon, but the chains held fast._

 _"Ah, ah, ah," he waved his hoof at me, "Not so fast." he was smirking. "You must've forgotten, this weapon is enchanted and you have not yet unlocked your full potential."_

 _"Full potential?" I chirped. I glanced up at the chains again. That's when I realized they were attached to a contraption that surrounded me on either side, black wires twisting through the links._

 _There were two ejecting poles that stretched out to meet each other. However, their placement brought their meeting point to each side of my head, just beside my temples. "What are you going to do to me?" I gritted my teeth, determined not to show weakness._

 _"I, my friend, am going to pump your body full of the magic of your affinity." he smiled, like he was giving me the greatest gift imaginable._

 _"What do you mean 'magic of my affinity'?" I bit my lip._

 _"You are body of ash, blood of magic, bone of bane. You are like me. Now taste sweet salvation!"_

 _Bolts of pure electricity tore through me, through my legs and through my head, straight down into the rest of me. I screamed at the unexpected excruciating pain. Magic my ass! "You're hurting me!" I cried._

 _"I am saving you!" he cackled. "Taste the power you deserve."_

 _"Gah!"_

* * *

Orange Juice

"I don't know how long that lasted. Days, weeks." At some point during his tale, Lockwood had set his sword down, the cloth wrapped around it. He was now toying with his lightning gun. "I found out that the gun was this one. And when my power activated, the first bullets were created. I shattered my shackles and killed the ashling that bound me."

Wonder cleared his throat, his hf touching mine, "That's, um, one shocking experience."

"To say the least," Lockwood reached for his sword, "But look. Look how it reacts to me." he removed the cloth from the blade and when he touched it , lightning crackled. It buzzed in bolts in a trail he created along the black metal.

"Whoa," I stared in childlike amazement. My eyes sparkled, reflecting the yellow energy.

"I knew it from the start. My body is ash, my bone is bane. My blood is…magic." he touched the sword again, _zap!_ "My blood is made of lightning."

"Hey guys, the rainstorm passed! Erza is calling the all clear to return to the Fort." The sword fell to the ground, clattering, when Roseanne popped her head in to let us know. That's the first time I'd ever seen Lockwood lose his composure.

"Oh," he said after a brief moment. "Sounds good, thanks Roseanne."

She glanced between the three of us, "I didn't," she gulped, "just walk in on something…weird…did I?"

Lockwood spluttered, Wonder burst into hysterics and I stared dumbfounded.

"Walk in on what?" I asked.

"Oh, ok, good," she brushed it off with a relieved smile, turning and leaving.

"Looks like it's time to go," said Lockwood, retrieving his items and practically running from the room.

Chewing on my lip, I felt bad for him. I locked eyes with Wonder, and I saw the same worry there that I felt. I suppose the wasteland had put us all through something hard. We all had our own struggles, and I thought it awesome. I wanted to battle through it and come out a winner just like he did! I licked my lips, they were tender. Oh yeah! I was just biting it.

"I'm thirsty," I said.

"Oh OJ, you're so silly. But you're my silly little colt." Wonder winked, and together we exited the cold storage that was no longer cold.

* * *

The ground was crunchy. Like graham crackers. I thought it had just rained but everything was dry. I was sniffing at the dirt, a few steps behind the group. Every few seconds Wonder stopped to look at me, giving me time to catch up, but I just shuffled past him and he walked ahead of me again.

The wasteland felt more empty than it ever had before on the journey back to the Fort. It also seemed to take a lot longer. I was scrolling through my Pip-Buck now, trying to distract myself, and I was walking super slowly. I was super shocked that there were no raiders around. Nothing to fight. It was a different feeling. But I suppose it made sense now. The ashlings had went bye-bye and the hoof-soldiers were on our side.

I flipped through my inventory, taking stock. APPLE GRENADES x5, BURNT OFFICE DOCUMENT, COMBAT SHOTGUN, SHOTGUN SHELLS x349, HEALTH POTIONS x10, HEAVY COMBAT ARMOR, MINIGUN, .55mm AMMO x607, SPARKLE-COLA x3, 10mm PISTOL, 10mm AMMO x56. Of course there was so much more, not to mention my power saddle. I had completely forgotten about my health potions though. Faust, I hadn't thought of the pony who'd given them to me in so long. _Red._ I wondered how he was doing and thought back to the whole reason I had come out into this empty wasteland in the first place.

I flipped past the radio tab, and stopped a second. It had been so long since I listened to music it felt like a million years. Or something. I saw the Galaxy News Radio labeled so clearly and I wondered what that meant. I thought of DJ Pon3 and wondered what he was talking about right now. I missed hearing that fun, upbeat way he talked and viewed the world. The good fight. Had we fought the good fight today? I would like to think so. But somehow I felt something was missing, and only time would tell what it was. I wanted to make it my goal to get there.

The ground shifted underneath my hooves and I shifted my leg within my saddle to deactivate my Pip-Buck screen. I wondered if the Guardian did this quite often since his outfitting was sorta like a power saddle, though a little bit different for the fact it was the color of a plum with blueberry stripes through it. I giggled at the thought the Guardian may be a mixture of fruits in a bowl, then focused on the land beneath my feet. It had changed from dirt and gravel and dust to the whitish asphalt of the highway. We were approaching the Bridge.

I saw the mini-Fort, as I liked to picture it now, that the raiders had erected a long time ago in order to combat the actual Fort. As we approached we could notice ponies moving about the labyrinth like ants in a sand castle. I noticed the Guardian and Lady Ashe exchange a look. That's when I saw the army green stallion with his white buzz cut mane, overseeing everything with a smile like a wise old man. He turned and waved like he had been expected us to return at exactly this moment.

 _Boing, boing, boing,_ came the recognizable hops of a certain party pony. Pumpkin Spice was along beside me and she winked at me as we went up the slope to meet the head of the Fort. "Sir!" snapped Ashe Erza, saluting.

"At ease, Colonel." he nodded at the group.

"What exactly is going on," the Guardian nodded his head toward the bustle of activity coming from within the old raider outpost.

"Clean up crew," stated the General, a twinkle in his eye, "I thought it about time we finally cleaned up the mess left by the Battle on the Bridge. Just in time too I see."

Wonder came to a stop beside me and I saw Pumpkin nod between me and him then wink, wink at the General. He smiled at her. "Report, soldier?" He asked of the Guardian and the Colonel.

Erza heaved a huge sigh, like the gusts of winds long past finally escaping her, "Sir, the threat has been neutralized for now, but I'm not sure how long it'll take before we have yet another ghastly foe to face."

He held up a hoof, "Very good," smiling he told her in a reassuring tone of voice, "all in due time, as there's yet the debrief." he looked at the Guardian, "You, Ol' Buck?"

The Guardian coughed, "Well, Sir, I believe we've got a new ally in our ranks, I think you'll want to speak with him at the debrief meeting, as I'm not sure where he'd like to go from here."

"That's excellent news!" the General beamed, and I saw wrinkle lines around his eyes. It was nice to see a jolly face. "I think Cherry Blossom shall be pleased to hear it! Well, now that we've got all our ducks in a row, I'd love to hear about the strange gamma concentration our radars picked up right after that huge explosion at the train station. I've only seen rain storms like that over in Manehattan."

"Sounds like a plan," said the Guardian.

"But first!" announced the General, "To commemorate a job well done, we must throw a celebration feast."

"How will we do that?" asked the Guardian. "We haven't had a trader in months."

Pumpkin Spice had moved away from my side without me even realizing it because suddenly she was standing next to the General like she'd never left in the first place, never even came with us to fight the Circle of Ash. "I think the General would love to explain!" she jumped in the air once, dust puffing beneath her hooves when she hit the ground again. "But all in due time!" she and the General laughed together and I realized with a tender look I gave my coltfriend, it was good to be home.

* * *

The table was packed with food, a celebration for a hard battle fought. We weren't counting our blessings yet, but at least we had our ducks in a row. I think. I giggled, thinking how silly the General was. Then I slipped into my spot at the table, across from the Guardian right beside Wonder on my left and Pumpkin on my right. We were passing food around, filling our plates and ready to fill our bellies. Lily Bloom smiled when she passed the rolls, saying they were of her family's recipe and, don't tell anypony she said so, but Cherry Blossom was the one who made them.

There were drinks set down by said stallion, who'd come just in time to hear his name mentioned but he wasn't sure what was said. I saw the big glass of orange juice waiting to be poured, and ignoring the squabble that ensued between brother and sister, I reached for it. "Aly-oop!" Pumpkin swept up the glass and poured herself a cup, then passed it to somepony else. I kept reaching for it but everypony was too busy talking and laughing to see. By the time it came back around to me, it was empty. I licked my lips, imagining what it may taste like, knowing I'd still have to wait a bit longer for that day when I could finally drink my favorite drink.

Combat Zone and his boys were lifting their glasses and I looked around seeing that everypony was looking at me. "Though the Colonel can't be here, I know she'd be just as proud as any of us when I say this to you Orange Juice," the Guardian was going on. "Without you, I don't see how we'd all have come together like this. Without you, we would not be sitting with old friends," he glanced between me, to Wonder and Pumpkin Spice, to Lily and Cherry, and then he looked to his right where Combat was sitting beside him. "And new." to that everypony cheered and laughed, tossing up their cups to clink glasses. I think I'd heard somewhere it was bad luck to clink an empty cup, so I didn't raise mine. Instead I sat there looking embarrassed, and with a big goofy smile.

When it was all said and done it all, I think it all just came back to orange juice.

 _ **(Chapter 39 posted 10/28/18 at 5:00am**_

 _I read in a professional essay shown to us in my Literature class, that a good story always has that point where some gesture or action of a character is unlike any other in the story, and indicates where the real heart of the story lies. It is unexpected but still within character. That is where this chapter is leading up to. Orange Juice is tying back into things they may have forgotten about and bringing back that sense of ease after so much chaos. I'm looking to wrap this story up, and tie it into Stable 28. I mentioned the Pip-Buck and inventory, also the radio, so that our minds can get back into that mindset where we started, so we don't forget our roots, or foundation, so to speak. OJ had a moment to reflect and that is really important to think about. We've got all our ducks in a row. It all comes back to orange juice. I don't want to lose sight of what this story is really about. Have you guessed at it yet? Well don't worry because that gesture will be coming up and you'll see where the true rebel heart lies and what it really means. I can't wait, so stick with it!_

 _PS, I also want to apologize for being gone for so long. I have been struggling through depression and I'm not doing well in school. I'm doing my best and I want to write more to this story and continue this series with Yolo. Please hang in there and look forward to what comes next! Love ya!)_

 **Brohoof /)**


	47. Chapter 39 Orange Juice Part 2

**Chapter 39** Orange Juice Part 2

" _Awoooo! DJ Pon3 here, coming right back atcha! Now, last time I made mention of new trade routes opening up for good ponies of the wasteland. I'd like to direct our eyes down south. Hey! It all seems to come back 'round to Bittsberg eventually right? Big issues. Well get this: I heard there was some explosion in that big ol' train station. The Fort striking back? You knooow, ain't nopony heard raider activity down south in quite awhile. Travel at your own risk but I'd be looking to take some chances. Keep fighting the good fight. And now back to the hits!"_

* * *

 _The metal floor of the stable felt as cold as bones under my hooves. I saw ahead of me a bright white light flashing and a shadow zipped past into the side hallway. I looked down at my orange fur, and at my Pip-Buck on my left foreleg. Well here was my flank, a number imprinted in black ink upon it. I was examining myself and I felt light, and floaty. Why was I here again? Why was the air so still? I breathed and looked behind me._

 _Turning around, I came face to face with Red. "Orange, why haven't you come back yet?" I saw a glint in his eye, and a streak down his red cheek that made his fur grayer than the rest. It was a tear. He was crying!_

 _"D-don't cry big brother," I heard a whimper that sounded like my voice but I hadn't spoken._

 _Red melted away, I saw his flesh and then his bones. I gasped, taking a few steps backward. My rump hit something warm and metallic. A rumbling sounded and I felt the thing vibrating. I spun around and saw a generator, crackling blue lights throwing a loud popping sound up. I threw my hooves over my ears, trying to block it out, but my Pip-Buck was freaking out, telling me to leave, there was radiation in here, it was dangerous! Why wasn't I listening?_

 _"UP, why are you curled into a ball? Is this just another game…game…game…" Tide was standing in front of me but her voice was echoing and when I reached for my marefriend she wasn't there. I was falling. I remembered games, how everything I did seemed funny to her. How I made her laugh, how she was never happy until she queued me. But that's why it had to end right? I couldn't remember. I tried shaking my head to clear my thoughts I couldn't understand. Everypony was talking at once._

 _I hit the couch hard, the flower patterned one in Pumpkin Spice's chambers. The TV was on, it was buzzing, so many ponies were talking at once. I looked at the flickering screen, at the blinding white light in this sepia room where everything else was in shades of orange and brown. So that's where that light was coming from. I had thought maybe it was a spotlight._

 _What was it there on the TV? What was playing that everypony had to talk over each other? I leaned forward, seeing the group of friends from so long ago. It was like that picture Pumpkin had shown me, but it was moving and they were all talking. To each other at first, they looked happy. But then they saw me and they looked so angry._

 _"Why did you come here Puppydog?" the Guardian on the TV screen had turned to face me directly and he looked skeptical. I scrambled backward, trying to push myself into the cushions of the couch like they could protect me, but the couch fell backward and my eyes snapped open._

* * *

I had fallen asleep to the sound of the radio playing. There was a warm body near me, I had forgotten Wonder had come to see me last night, leaving to go get an overnight bag and I had turned on the radio to wait for him. Hammy still sat buzzing on the nightstand. I groaned, not wanting to move out of the embrace of my coltfriend. He felt so warm and comfortable.

Slapping at the table, I was reaching for the radio's off switch. The sound was unpleasant this early in the morning. It was a feral ghoul screeching right before attacking. I felt so groggy. Why did I think my Geiger Counter was going off? I glanced at the glowing analog on Hammy. The dial had moved after I hit the little tan box and the white glow of the screen was flickering to indicate static. I reset it back to Galaxy, and a gently melody came through. I yawned and turned the radio off.

Traversing the Concourse gardens was a battle to be first in line. I pictured a traffic jam like those in a foal's picture book about the big city I'd come across in the Library. " _Beep, beep,_ " I honked aloud, driving my car around a couple mares in stained overalls. They looked ready to work. The skylights above were bright, it was a sunny day outside, certainly a great time to work. I wondered what the courtyards were like, where they farmed. Huh, I don't think I'd ever even seen the greenhouses of Stable 28. I closed my eyes and pictured big class cages lined with drooping blooms and sad looking oranges. They cried for help and to be eaten. I licked my lips then pictured the dancing gourds and melons of the Fort's gardens. They were all excited and new they'd end up in the willing and hungry tummies of hard working stallions and mares.

A smell reached my nostrils, and I sniffed, inhaling the lovely lavender scent of a purple flower in one of the beds. I opened my eyes and realized I must've been drawn to it like a moth to a flame. It was such a sweet enticing smell and made me feel fuzzy inside. I leaned my face in, inhaling the plant and letting it embrace my face as the air sucked it inward toward me. It felt soft against my muzzle and so very ticklish. I kept sniffing, giggling and liking it. It was a playful purple dandelion. At least, I would like to call it a dandelion because they just sounded so…dandy! A breeze of air swept past my rump, or rather a quick moving pony. The flower was teasing my nose and I felt a sneeze coming on. Uh-oh. "Ah-ahh-ah!" I widened my mouth to prepare for the onrush.

"Oh sweetie, don't do that!" Lily Bloom had concern tying lace through her words. "You'll unsettle your allergies—"

I turned to look at the doctor, trying to smile, but it was wobbly with the snee—"CHOO!"—ze. Right in my friend's face. We both fell on our tushes, me from the momentum, her from the powerful force of my strong sneeze.

"Oh, I'm sorry Lily!" I gasped, pulling away from the flower bed and galloping to where she sat in a haze.

"My," she took my hoof and I helped her up, "Quite some allergies if I do say so. Perhaps I prescribe a small amount of antivenom and antidote, perhaps some berry, orange or grape mentats…" Lily was turning to go, a hoof to her chin and thinking hard. "Huh, you just gave me an idea OJ!" she was moving off.

I raised a hoof, "Wait! What's going on? You were moving so fast and there you go again…"

"Busy busy!" she was off down the passage, disappearing towards the medical wing.

"Everypony seems busy today," I sighed, lowering my head and staring at the tiles beneath my hooves. I tapped against one, making a clicking sound. Somepony must've just recently polished or waxed them because they were reflective like a pool of clear glass. I could see my own face staring back at me, frowning and confused. I looked at my mismatched eyes, the tangerine left one and the aquamarine right one. Hehe those kinda rhymed!

"Hey! Why the long face?!" In came bouncing Pumpkin Spice, as though on cue. She had a huge smile, like and elf. "Heh, get it OJ, kuz a horse walks into a bar and the bartender asks why the long face?"

I glanced up at her, confused as usual, but smiling at her silliness. "There it is, a smile!" she grabbed my cheeks, smushing them to make the smile bigger, or something. "Hey, stoppit, you squish mah face." I stuck my tongue out at her when she lowered her hooves. She stuck hers out right back.

"Do you know why everypony seems so busy?" I asked her.

Clicking a hoof at me, she began her stride past me, "Walk with me." oof, she sounded all serious. I ran to catch up with her. She was heading around the flower beds and toward the opposite intersecting corridor. "OJ, today seems to be a special day. You know why?"

"No," I tilted my head, a curious bird.

"RUNNING OF THE LEAVES!" exclaimed the party pony, seemingly spasming into the air, legs spread eagle and mane and tail standing on end like a scared cat's. Then she landed perfectly and neatly, her hair fluffling out as normal again. "Among other things such as Hooftober Fest and Thankscloven." she winked at me as she continued on.

"I have no clue what any of those are." I bit my lip, pondering the new holidays she was listing. I knew they were holidays because whenever she spouted off names like this and got super duper excited she usually threw holiday parties. Like Nightmare Night and Hearts and Hooves Day.

"We should be thankful for being together. Those early settlers were thankful for what happened to them, and we should be thankful too." Pumpkin Spice glanced over her shoulder at me. "Marcie DeRoberts!" she yelled.

"Oh." I blinked at her and continued to follow along to wherever it was we were going.

"Thankscloven celebrates early settlers in the wasteland. It's kinda boring. My favorite is Running of the Leaves, and Cherry's favorite is Hooftober Fest. For _obvious_ reasons." she giggled behind a hoof.

"Why's your favorite Running of the Leaves?" I asked her.

She stopped suddenly and my face was buried in her poofy orange cotton candy tail. It smailed vaguely sweet, like pumpkin pie. "Lazy, lazy leaves." she stated quite pointedly.

"Whazzit?" I barely heard her. My ears flicked.

"Well you see, the leaves don't do any of the actual running. No! Leave it up to _my little ponies,_ to kick the dust up and make them suckers fly! Like pegasi! Hey that rhymed, like grudge with fudge, and if you eat too much fudge you'll get a pudge, you see OJ, and then you won't be able to budge! BUUUUT that's exactly the point of Thankscloven which is the not so boring part of the holiday, the eating of the _PUMPKIN PIE!_ And then to top it all off, if you're old enough you get to drink lots of yummy hard cider and it's bottoms up. Dontcha worry your silly ol' bones though because if you're underage we've got ourselves some soft cider…orrr whatever you call that drink that isn't intoxicating to us ponies and it's made of apples and spice. Ohhh I do so love Spice!"

Amongst all Pumpkin's prattling she ended up leading the way to the main courtyards of the Fort. She opened the hissing doors into the first farmyard I'd ever gotten to see in my entire life! "Welcome to the vineyards!" she screeched as she jumped forward into the dirt, sliding on her knees like a rockstar or a baseball player.

"Vin-yerds…" I spoke slowly, testing the word out on my tongue. "I like it!" it had a nice ring to it. "What's out here?"

"GRAPES! LOTS AND LOTS OF LITTLE PURPLE PLUCKLINGS." she ran past a pony with a hoe in his hoof, who was kneeling down and scraping at the dirt. There were green stems entangled amongst the cobblestones and they led up to big crosshatched wooden walls. "Those are called trellis, or lattice frames." Pumpkin explained, whispering in my ear. I don't remember her getting so close to me to do so but when I looked at her she was standing past the earth pony. She stuck her tongue out at me and blew a raspberry. I giggled.

"Oh Cherry will definitely be pleased with this, OJ, come and look," Pumpkin began bouncing along the path over to an offshoot of the courtyard. "Time to put on your skepticals." she moved off to a big wooden bucket and jumped in. There was a huge splash of purple liquid and Pumpkin disappeared into the big bucket below the lip.

"What are you doing?" I glanced around for her, not sure how she'd managed to disappear like that.

Pumpkin appeared in the air just above the lip of the bucket thing, "Jumping," she stated quite simply like I should've realized this. She dropped from the peak of her arc and disappeared again.

"What are you jumping on?" I asked her.

"Grapes!" she called at another peak. Suddenly behind me she screeched, "OH OJ!"

"Eek," I fell on my butt for the second time that day. I stared up at her and she extended a helping hoof.

"I wanna show you the good apples." her eyes were wide, and her face was close to me. It seemed to be some sort of mystery.

"There shouldn't be any bad apples right?"

"In the apple of my eye, sometimes the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree." Pumpkin Spice stated precisely like she was making some profound scientific quote.

"What does that mean?" my head was spinning circles and suddenly there were two Pumpkins.

"Apples to apples, Orange Juice, you're bananas!" another hatchway opened and we were back in the Fort, but this tunnel seemed narrower. A connector tunnel.

"Lots of fruit."

"Yes, and that means there can be bad apples! But the Fort certainly doesn't breed them, silly goose." she winked at me. "That'd be just _another_ wild goose chase!" she twitched again and jumped forward a few feet.

In that span she slammed into a circular metal door. Her face looked like a pancake for a second when she came away from it. "You're crazy." I giggled.

"No, I'm bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S." she smirked at me. "And I meant to do that." her face had already popped back into proportion by now. She reached up and tapped the button to open the door without looking then she bounced on through it with no care in the world when it opened.

It was like we'd portaled from one world to the next, and we stepped from a land of green vines to a land of short little trees with colorful polka-dots of different kinds of apples. "Portal?" Pumpkin Spice glanced at me. "OJ, how much would you pay for something you don't want? _Hmmm?_ " she was standing in front of me, not letting me into the land of trees.

"Well, um…nothing?" I made a funny face, not sure where she was coming from.

"Question two! Do you like getting stuff you _like_ for free?"

"I don't know…is this some sort of test?"

"It's not!" Pumpkin's eyes turned into saucers. In a sudden monotone voice, she stated, "Cake and grief counseling will be available at the conclusion of the test!"

"Wait what?" I blinked at her. "Cake?"

"Free cake!" she screeched. "Or maybe something else, I'm not sure." she stroked her chin. "I mean, whatever it is, momentum is conserved between portals. Like, a speedy thing goes in," she grabbed a toy airplane out of her mane. I shook my head, what the? Even more unexpectedly she tossed it into the passageway leading back to the vineyard. Suddenly she caught the airplane, which came back through the land of trees hatchway, "speedy thing comes out." she concluded, stuffing the toy back in her poofy mane.

"That actually makes sense." I told her with a big goofy smile.

"Of course it does sweet Orange Juice, because I said it in simple Equestrian for ya! Gladdy certainly wouldn't have. Hehe." with that she bounced off into the trees, unbarring my path but vanishing again like into the big bucket.

Taking one single step into the new area, I walked smack dab into another pony. With a _clang_ in my head, and stars in my vision, I fell on my bootay for a _third_ time that day.

"Why, pardon me silly pony." said a sweet voice. A big orb like thing with three eyes was looking down upon me and I felt like it was going to eat me with its long snake-like arms jutting from it and moving fluidly.

"ACK!" I shrieked and the body moved back. Sunlight glinted off its orange husk, and I had to shield my eyes. "Wh-what are you?" the more I thought about it, it seemed to look like a big floating orange. It looked yummy, if not for the googly eyes.

"Mr. Hoofy Class-B Supervisor Orange!" it lifted a tendril arm, in a sort of salute. At the end of the arm was a weird claw like thing, with a caged bowl shape underneath. It's claw-like metal fingers flexed. I saw an apple inside the cage. On another arm was a small basket, filled with at least a dozen apples, all of different colors.

"I've never seen a Mr. Hoofy before. Nice to meet you!" I giggled, getting up and reaching for its…um…hoof?

"Please, call me Orange, young lad." he looked down at me, then his eyes seemed to click, in a blink. "My! Didn't 'spect to meet the Puppydog!" a tendril was extended, the end piece visibly twisting and a metal joint that looked like a hoof ejected from the slot.

"Nice ta meetcha!" I was laughing now, thinking the strange pony was sorta funny. I grabbed his hoof, it felt cold in my own. "Hey, my name is Orange too!"

"Now that's quite the chuckle, ain't it?" the orb pony laughed. "Now, gotta get back to work ya see. Lots of preparations to do for the Fort's extended holidays."

"Ok! It was nice to meet you!" I waved him goodbye and he went into the trees.

Exiting the forest, Pumpkin Spice appeared, smiling at me and eating an apple, "I love pink apples, don't you OJ?"

"Pink?" I questioned her.

"Oh, I saw you met one of the farm supervisors!" she looked over her shoulder Mr. Hoofy. "Pity we didn't meet Supervisor Blue. Oh, but she can be so rainy," Pumpkin waved it off, then shoved the last of the apple in her mouth, in the next second spitting out the seeds like a machine gun.

"What is this place?" I asked her as we walked the paths through the trees.

"It's called an apple orchard." Pumpkin told me, beaming as bright as the sun. I loved her smile and couldn't help returning it.

"Or-card." I nodded. Another cool word!

"Oh, everything is running smoothly," Pumpkin was ecstatic, "Cherry will _love it!_ " her voice rang out and some nearby earth ponies covered their ears but smiled at each other with a shake of their heads and a roll of their eyes. They were used to Pumpkin's shenanigans.

We came to the end of the courtyard, where a row of windows lined the hallway inside this part of the Fort. There were benches outside the windows. I yawned, again getting that sleepy feeling. I don't think I'd slept very well. I sat down on the bench.

Tossing me an apple, Pumpkin came to sit beside me. Using SATS, I easily caught the fruit. "Snack time!" Pumpkin was already crunching on another apple. After a while of silence, Pumpkin glanced at me out of the corner of her eye. "Bit for your thoughts?"

* * *

 _For awhile, our relationship was great._

 _The door to my cell opened only about a week later after the party. "Hey there, grunt," said a certain devil mare. She winked at me, somehow her voice no longer seeming malicious when she spoke to me. I gulped but I was feeling a bit more easy upon seeing her. I shoved a spoon I had stolen from my dinner tray under my bed hastily nonetheless._

 _"What's that?" Tide glanced at the silver object I had just hidden._

 _"There is no spoon!" I gasped._

 _"This isn't a simulation. You can tell me." she sighed._

 _"Um…it's a cart." I glanced at the spoon._

 _Tide came in, swiped her card and let the door close behind her, locking us both in until she opened the door again. "Nice room you got," she smiled, but there was a conflicted look in her ruby eyes that somehow seemed sad. "So, tell me about this cart. How fast does it go?"_

 _"You're not angry?" I asked._

 _"If it was anypony else, I'd be demanding to know where they'd learned the word cart, and why they'd stolen Stable-Tech property, but it's you. Something in me stops me from being angry about you. Pru was right."_

 _"Pru?" I tilted my head._

 _Tide changed the subject back to the topic at hoof, "So, it's a cart eh? Does it say vroom vroom?"_

 _"What?"_

 _"The language of carts," she grabbed the spoon, "You move it like this, yes?" she pushed it across the metal floor lightly, saying, "Vroom, vroom," under her breath._

 _"I was moving it like that. It was…dri-dri…um, going somewhere."_

 _Tide glanced to the side, biting her lip. She had been about to tell me something. "Damn rules," she muttered angrily._

 _"What rules."_

 _"I don't know where you learned about carts, or the word driving," she said quite off-hoofedly, like she knew she was doing it but she was pretending there was no intention, "but I'm not allowed to tell you the words. No mare is."_

 _"Oh. That's sad. Why not?" I cocked my head, trying to make eye contact. She avoided my gaze, looking at the somewhat barren bed._

 _"Well, you stallions only get a very cut and dry curriculum. It can't be changed for any reason. Not like it's a constitution."_

 _"That's a big word. I don't know what that means."_

 _"I wouldn't expect you to." Tide grunted. She picked up the spoon and waved it in front of me, "Don't forget the vroom vroom noises. Next time I'll be back with a gift, ok?"_

 _"Ok!" I nodded vigorously, my eyes alight with childlike curiosity. I liked gifts. I thought of all the ones I had stashed away in my tiny vent cubby-hole. Hehe._

 _Later that night I was laying in my bed wide away. "Come in, come in ranger rick!" said my all time favorite voice in my head. Number 1 I remember him as. He was number 1 in my head. A white UP somewhere in the cell block, far far away, but still ever so close._

 _"Hello cadet kelly!" I giggled._

 _"You seem quite perky tonight mister." said my best friend. His voice was inquisitive, as always, wanting to find a better understanding of everything._

 _"Well! My marefriend~ came to visit me."_

 _"Mare? Friend? I wouldn't put those two words together. Oximoron you see." One seemed a bit concerned._

 _"Oh no! Don't worry. She was a big ol' meanie pony, but now she's nice. Everypony is nice to me!"_

 _"I don't think so. Are you sure you can trust her?"_

 _"I can trust her. She was so sad last week. I think I can make her happy."_

 _"Mare's are always happy UP."_

 _"I don't think they are. I think there's something about them that's kinda like us."_

 _"Kinda like us…that's an interesting thought." One made a yawning sound. "Sorry! Didn't mean to transmit that."_

 _"It's okay. And you have such funny words. Like Sir Rick You Lamb."_

 _"Wait what?" One gasped in confusion, thinking I was silly, kuz I was! "Anyway, UP, I gotta get to bed. I think I'm queued again tomorrow morning. They really really like my horn."_

 _"Ok!"_

 _"I do…wanna hear more about this…mare slash friend of yours."_

 _"Yessir!" I agreed. "Goodnight friendo!"_

 _"Goodnight to you to my friend."_

* * *

 _It was a bit more time before I saw Tide again. The security mare was a busy gal afterall, and I understood that. I hoped she'd be allowed to tell me about her adventures when she came back! I had been thinking a lot about her, I didn't know why, and I wanted to ask her so many things. Like what her job was like. I had noticed that since we were friends I had been queued less by other ponies, so I think I needed the conversations._

 _The door buzzed. I glanced up, excited to see that it was in fact my marefriend. I found her to be devilishly beautiful, like a fallen alicorn. Bookworm had told me a story of Nephilim once. Very interesting stuff! And now I had something to compare it to! "Tide!" I giggled. I jumped up from the floor, tossing away a paper ball I had crumpled up and snuck in here using my mouth as a hidey hole. I tell you what, paper did not taste as yummy as it looked crumpled into the shape of the fruit that sat on that mare's kitchen table. But it did make for a good ball._

 _"Playing catch?" she laughed. Coming briskly to me, she hugged me. "It's been awhile. I haven't gotten a break all Faust damn week. Sick days for crying out loud! Suck my…" she glanced down at my wide eyes, "silicone undies." she pursed her lips._

 _"That's what I wanted to know!" I pulled back and looked in her eyes. "I wanted to ask you a lot of fun stuff kuz I really wanted to hear about your adventures."_

 _"Adventures, right. Now you're dreaming." she chuckled softly to herself._

 _"You are a really wound up girl aren't you," I poked her in the nose._

 _"Ok! But not here, it's illegal to do it here. Come on UP," she pulled my to my feet, and I followed her out of my cell._

 _Her apartment was well lit, and I saw some lamps turned on, sitting on the buffet. I hadn't seen them before. Though it had been a bit of time since last I was here. Something did seem obviously different. It might have been the way the chairs were neatly pushed in. There was a long rectangular shaped box on the table, red and tied with a white ribbon._

 _"It's for you," Tide said, closing and locking the door with the push of a button. "Go on,"_

 _Her eyes lit up as I ran toward it. I felt my heart fluttering. I didn't know what to expect, it wasn't often a mare gave a stallion something, and it wasn't often a stallion had anything of his own to keep. I hoped I wasn't the only one who got treated like this. Everypony deserved to be treated with care. I practically ripped the lid from its base, and dumped the object on the table. It was a strangely shaped thing, curvey and long with circular spinny thingies on the bottom. 5 of them, no wait, like…3 of them. I don't know. But it slid across the table with ease! It was so smooth and sleek and felt cold in my hoof until my heat warmed it up like an oven. It was painted a light green, with an cream stripe down the center. It reminded my of my own colors, fur orange and mane turquoise._

 _"What in the Stable is it!?" I gasped, zooming it along the table and hearing the spinny thingies whir as they spun._

 _"It's a car. You know, a later model of cart. It drives, it vrooms, it beeps." I set it down and watched it carefully, waiting for it to just what she said it would do. She huffed and rolled her eyes. "Well, only if you make it. It's a toy."_

 _"Ohhh!" I nodded and grabbed at it again, sliding it across the table. "Vroom vroom, beep beep!" I laughed, feeling a rush of energy._

 _"I've got one of my own," said Tide. "So we can…um…play together." she disappeared into her bedroom, and when she came back out, she had a light red toy car underhoof, pushing it across the carpeted floor. The circle thingies squeaked on hers._

 _"Whoa! It made a noise!"_

 _"Mine's a bit old." Tide glanced down at the floor._

 _I put mine on the floor, pushing it toward her. "My spinny circles are faster than yours!" I called._

 _"Spinny circles?" I picked it up and pointed at the black circles on their silver bars that made them spin around. "Oh! Those are wheels idiot." Tide laughed._

 _"Ok! Then my wheels are fastest in the Stable."_

 _"You wish!" Tide exclaimed._

 _We wheeled the cars around, making vroom and zoom sounds with our mouths and tongues and pushing them past each other and doing something called driving and racing as my marefriend explained it. We drove circles around the bedroom, and around each other, playing the game of race. I loved the game of race! There was a finish line and I had to get to it fast. That's when the noses of our cars bumped into each other and the two of us looked up at each other in shock. Her glittery red eyes looked into mine. I noticed she had put on some sort of covering around her eyes that made her eyelids sparkly red. Her lips were shiny with a slightly lighter shade than her fur. It was barely noticeable from afar but up close, it was hard not to notice and it made her look kinda…pretty._

 _Tide creased her brow, "I see ya peering at me ya perve. Whatcha thinking?"_

 _Something between my legs felt stiff and I blushed, "Well I was thinking how pretty you look."_

 _"Oh were ya now? You aren't getting off that easy." she leaned forward and kissed me. We kissed like that for a few seconds, then she took her hoof off her car and reached down toward me. I felt a nice sensations and I moaned against her muzzle. Gripping my forelegs, she pulled me up onto the bed where we continued to kiss. I loved laying against her, she was so warm and soft. She also smelled good. I couldn't quite place it._

 _"UP, would you like to service me?" she looked into my eyes._

 _"Y-you're asking me?" my heart skipped a beat. Who asked?! I thought you just did! I thought it was my job to do that for a mare whenever I was queued. I didn't know it was any different when it came to her. Maybe something was? I had noticed that her room was clean, no clothes making an untidy mess on the floor and the dresser drawers straightened out._

 _"Yes, for once I'm asking you. Gotta problem?"_

 _"I-I don't know Tide…" I choked on words. Finally I nodded, "Yes, I would like to service you…ma'am." I added that for good measure because I was suddenly anxious._

 _"Sheesh, you're like a pet. Well get to it then." she shrugged, and then rolled to her back and smiled at me as I climbed up on top of her._

 _I started slow, tender and making sure I did it right. I was always gentle with everypony. She seemed to like it, I could see that euphoric look in her eyes as she looked away from mine and upward to the headboard. Then she grunted. "You don't have to play games with me. I can take it." That was new to me. But if it was what she wanted then who was I to deny her?_

 _For the first time in my life, I rammed into a mare with all the force I had. Her voice was pure ecstacy. Something in me felt filthy for enjoying that sound…_

* * *

 _"Did you get to ask her your questions?" asked Number One._

 _"No, not yet. We played with toy cars!" I was looking at that very car right now. I was wrapped in my blankie and rolling the toy along my belly. I had had to convince Tide that I could keep it safe and free from discovery. I was scared to tell her how or why though. Nopony knew of my secret stash of gifts and treasures._

 _"Car. Hmm…sometime I would like to know more about this word. For now, tell me why you didn't get the chance to talk in all that time? It doesn't seem right. Me and you talk all the time. That's a true friendship, UP."_

 _"Well um…because she queued me and after we played I serviced her." I blushed not liking to tell my friend about my specific queue experiences. What stallion would like to?_

 _"I still don't trust her. She's vying for Chief of Security you know. Though I doubt any mare will take it until long after Lens Cap is dead as a whistle."_

 _"Who's that?"_

 _"She's queued me before too you know. Pillow talk is a powerful thing! Even the most unphasable of mares will crack after a good night's…sleep." I heard the discomfort in his voice when he mentioned his queue time. See, I told you!_

 _"She's told you these things…?" I don't know why, but something about that, her telling somepony else something but not telling me, it kinda hurt._

 _"Of course. You gotta find the right words."_

 _"Words are hard for me."_

 _"I know UP." sighed One. "But if she's truly your friend she'll look past that. Now, it's time for bed."_

 _"Okie!" I shifted, and got to my hooves on my mattress. Reaching for the loose screws, I tilted open the vent and stuffed the car into its new home. "Have a goodnight, One-P."_

 _"You too, my friend." I liked it when he called me that._

* * *

 _Tide and I kept seeing each other for a few months after that party…_

 _I remembered how we always played together, I showed her once how a simple paper ball could be turned into a game of catch. She thought it was silly but I showed her! "It's just a stupid piece of paper." she told me, and then I commenced to crumple the blank sheet right in front of her face. "Hey! That's such a waste of valuable Stable-Tech materials!" but at that we both giggled and commenced the ball game. She taught me about baseball that night and we the cuddling and service followed the energy of that night._

 _One day she showed me an old map of the Stable, something that didn't look quite right. It was on a filmy piece of paper, something almost clear, and it looked frayed and burnt around the edges, like it had been used often. "That's from overhead and projector use. The image has gotten too much light and is now fading," Tide had explained to me. "This is how maps are loaded into programs though, see these gridlines?" she pointed at it, "It's fed into a machine that reads it and transfers it into data."_

 _"I have no idea what half of what you're saying means but I thought you weren't supposed to tell me?" I giggled._

 _"Sure…" she narrowed her eyes, then grinned mischievously. "But rules are meant for breaking, remember that." she looked like a she-devil, but in a good way. I remember kissing her and she brushed her hoof across the map of the old Stable. That had given me an idea. I grabbed a marker from the desk and to her protest I drew dots and lines along the map, dividing it up. Then I found a blank piece of paper and ripped it up. That's when I drew dots on half of them and slid them over to her. She smiled, "Well, I'm screwed, but buck it, a board game seems fun right about now." we serviced again that night too! But oh how she laughed when we played that game. It made no sense what we did but it made us both happy._

 _Then one day it was quickly over. I had noticed it deteriorating for a week or so, I don't know how to keep track of time. But Tide had started to seem more agitated. More restless, and more upset with me. I started doing everything wrong, and a waste of Stable-Tech resources were least of my worries. I noticed she was a little rounder in recent days._

 _"I've been eating more because I'm stressed!" she snapped, "Who are you to judge anyway? You're not supposed to question me. I'm a mare."_

 _"Oh…" I looked down at my hooves. "But aren't we…friends?"_

 _"This entire thing…it's queer!" she yelled. She got up and her chair toppled over. I stared at her from my spot at the table. She went to sit on the tiny couch in the living room._

 _I followed along behind her, pushing aside the colorfully striped blankets that served as a curtain between this room and the next. She was laying back and breathing anxiously, her hind legs on the coffee table. I took a deep breath, "Don't I make you happy? I thought you were happy."_

 _"That's just it, UP." the way she said my designation did not bode well. "I am happy with this, and there's something wrong with that. I've come to resent you. It makes me sick."_

 _"Sick?" I wanted to give her a hug, and make her feel better._

 _I must've spoken aloud because she rubbed her belly, "No! Don't come near me! You understand me?" she closed her eyes. "My head hurts," she said quietly._

 _"Why?" I was frightened._

 _"I'm tired more than usual and hungry as tartarus. Plus, every morning I throw up at least once. Buck, now I'm taking sick days!" she shook her head, with one hoof still rubbing her large belly, she rubbed her forehead too._

 _"Want me to get you a snack?" I asked her, trying to cheer her up._

 _"NO!" she growled. "I don't want you to do anything. I want you to stay away from me. You did this to me!" she was angry and it hurt to see her like this. She was still holding her tummy, but she was glaring lasers._

 _She lifted her Pip-Buck and tapped away at the dials. "What are you doing?" I whispered._

 _"Queue's over. You're going back to your cell. I don't want to see you ever again. So don't get in trouble when I'm on shift." she lowered her hoof and rolled over, facing away from me. I somehow knew this meant we were done being special friends…_

* * *

"I had a bad dream last night," finally told Pumpkin Spice after awhile. We'd been sitting there for a bit since I recounted my story from the Stable. I have no idea how many apples she'd eaten or where she'd gotten them.

"What was it about?" Pumpkin asked me with a feathery tone. She never lost her smile, but this one was a kind, reassuring smile.

"It felt like it was reminding me of my journey from the Stable to the Fort, and all the friends I've made along the way. But it was asking me why. Why didn't I go back to the Stable? Why did I come to the Fort? Why was I with Tide and why did she leave me? I don't know Pumpkin Spice, I just don't know!" I buried my face in my hooves, trying to hide the tears that were forming there.

Pumpkin put a hoof on my shoulder, "Don't you worry about a thing, kuz every little thing is gonna be alright. You know why? Because the reason why you came to the Fort was to find a better life and ponies who actually care about you. I care about you, Buck cares about you."

I nodded, agreeing with her, but it all still hurt. I feel like I had failed him, failed Red. Then a thought hit me. " _He is ten years old?" "Yes, and the other one is eleven." "So, you had a second one? With the same mare?" "Yes, there are two colts now, just a year apart…"_ I gasped and whispered a single word: "Brother!"

"What was that OJ?" Pumpkin looked into my eyes as I slowly lowered my hooves and looked into hers. I was sniffling.

"I called him my brother in the bad dream!" I gasped and choked on another sob. I finally connected it. "Pumpkin, the pink mare in the stable showed me those memory orbs so I could connect the dots! Red is my brother!" My heartbeat picked up several paces a minute. I couldn't quite believe it. All those times in the Stable when Red had stood up for me, when he had fought for me, when he had _saved_ me. I wondered if he knew, but even if he didn't I think we both subconsciously knew. I really couldn't believe it. I suddenly didn't feel so alone. Not out here with all my friends and especially not in the Stable.

"You have a brother?!" Pumpkin Spice shot up.

There was a strange noise, a buzz, and Pumpkin Spice started. "Oh, that's just my radio," she glanced down, then dug her hoof into her scarf, pulling out a tiny box shaped device. Pressing a button she said, "Hello? Hellooooo?"

"Yes, Pumpkin Spice! Stop pressing the button so I can talk!" It was Cherry Blossom.

"Oh, yes, Cherry! We were just talking about fruit! Grapes, apples, oranges, bananas! And now cherries!"

"Um, no. I have no idea what you're talking about but no."

"What's up Cherry?" Pumpkin smiled at me.

"Urgent message. You're with the Puppydog right?"

Pumpkin nodded then her eyes widened. "Of course! He's right here, OJ, say hi!" she gasped and shouted into the radio.

"Gah!" Cherry inhaled.

"Hiii!" I called, waving my hoof excitedly.

Cherry sighed into the radio, "Okay, okay. Anyway, the Guardian just told me that he and Combat Zone wanna see Orange Juice immediately." Cherry started grumbling something about still having qualms about inviting a raider into our midst. Something like that.

"What are qualms?" I asked aloud, but nopony answered.

"Right away! At the south entrance I presume?" Pumpkin Spice giggled.

Cherry grunted, "Right. How ever did you know?" he sounded sarcastic.

"I have my ways," Pumpkin wiggled her eyebrows at me. "Come on Orange!" she hopped off the bench, completely forgetting about her last half eaten apple.

* * *

Combat Zone was waiting in the gatehouse with Cherry Blossom. They were laughing to each other over cups of something that smelled spicy and somewhat of apples. "Hard cider!" Pumpkin Spice scolded when we came into the room. "Boys!"

The stallions set their cups down on the control panel. "We're of age." said Cherry.

"Even if I wasn't you ain't the boss of me," Combat snarled, then pricked a smile at me, "Ey, there's the colt!" he rustled my mane.

"Oof," I ducked outa his reach and backed away, bumping into a stool, like the one Cherry was sitting on. Combat was leaning against the computer dock. He picked up his mug again and sipped at it.

"What's the kerbubble?" Pumpkin asked of the two stallions.

"The what?" Cherry narrowed his eyes at the mare.

"I wanted OJ to join me for something," said Combat. "A little community service." he glanced up at the ceiling, "Huh, never thought I'd catch myself doing that. Maybe I'm drunk but I thought it a good idea."

Quest added

CLEAN UP CREW

Objectives:

~Follow Combat Zone to the Bridge

~Help with community service activities in the Mini-Fort

"That does sound like a _good_ idea!" Pumpkin Spice was suddenly shoving the two of us out the door, "Good enough that you should get going _right now!_ " she slapped a button and the exit opened up for us and we were outside, the door closing behind us.

"Well, that was quite unexpected." Combat said.

"You don't know Pumpkin Spice," said I. I laughed at his bemused look.

Combat was still holding his mug, and he looked down with a content look at the amber liquid I saw sloshing around inside. "Good stuff." I licked my lips and he saw me looking. "I don't know if anypony would approve of you having this, but I did grab something for you." he reached into a sack he had on his back, and pulled out a golden drink! Orange juice! He tossed it to me and I easily caught it. No way I would every drop this. It was cold and fresh in its bottle. I wonder if the Fort grew oranges and if they'd freshly squeezed it for this bottle. "Thought you'd like it, seeing as we'll be outside working for a bit."

I looked around, surveying my surroundings. The ramp leading to the Bridge casting its shadow over the burnt out, previously exploded trucks that encircled the south entrance to the Fort. I remembered that day, and shook, thinking it was Combat's soldiers who'd chased me down here. Then I looked up at the bridge. "Where's the Guardian?"

Combat laughed out loud, "Heh, you think you need him 24/7? NO!" he burped and took another sip of his apple cider. "No, he said you're able to go out on your own every so often and you don't always need him. So here we are."

"Oh, that's cool!" I sighed, and checked that I had at least one weapon on me. A 10mm pistol I had strapped to my right leg before leaving my room. I wasn't wearing any armor though. Hopefully I wouldn't need it. I had a good feeling about today though! Especially with this orange juice in one hoof. I used my magic to levitate it in front of me so I could walk on all four hooves.

We made our way up to the Mini-Fort where I could see busy ponies in black combat vests working tirelessly to clean up the messes left by the raiders. Combat led me into the room with all the cages. "The Hold," he stated. I looked at the cages, seeing that most were open and empty, and a few ponies were working to clean them out with scrub brushes and a liquid labeled "Hydrogen Peroxide" on my EFS. A few were still shut with slumped bodies, and a couple Fort soldiers were working to unlock the doors.

There was one lone soldier, standing tall and supervising the men. He was wearing a helmet, unlike everypony else, and sunglasses. He took the sunglasses off when we approached. "Sergeant Bales at your service," he stated firmly, "state your business."

"I'm here to assist with cleanup. Seeing as I'm ex leader of the raiders that used to hold this outpost, I should think my insight should be of use here." Combat said.

"And the Puppydog?" Bales looked at me with contempt.

Combat leaned toward him, and Bales pressed his butt against the wood wall. "I should think the Puppydog's station is above yours and his actions don't concern you." then he burped in the sergeant's face and said, "Meh." glancing over to the cage to the left of the room, now our right, he said, "What's going on over there?"

Two ponies were standing around, talking to each other in hushed tones, tool kits scattered about nearby. "I don't think they know what they're doing." stated Bales.

I trotted over to the boys, "Herro!" I chirped excitedly, my orange juice levitating in front of me and bobbing happily, just waiting for me to pop the cap and drink it up. Heheh.

"Um, hi?" one turned away from the conversation and stared at me like I was crazy. I just grinned like a foal.

"Whatcha doing?" I twiddled a my left hoof against my right leg.

The second soldier spoke up, "Trying to get this blasted cage open. But like I keep telling my buddy here, I think it'll need a key, the lock's just way too strong to break with lock picks or bobby-pins."

"Whatever, don't trust my skills." said the first and they were back to arguing about the cage door. I shrugged and moved to the cage.

I thought I felt my heart stop. It was the soldier in tattered green fatigues I'd first noticed from the Battle on the Bridge. Faust! I thought he had died! I had seen him slump over and it had scared me, but here he was, visibly but shakily breathing. He looked to be asleep.

"Ah," said Combat, "seeing as there's a huge problem," he put his hoof on the padlock on the cage door, "and the looks of this security, I'd say this was a high priority target for my men."

The two soldiers glanced up at him, and they both visibly paled. "By tartarus," said the first soldier, his friend just remained silent.

"Get over yourselves." Combat spat on the ground. Taking another sip of his drink, he moved past the two soldiers and gestured to me, "C'mere, Orange." I trotted along after the ex raider, and stuck my tongue out at the dummy soldiers.

There was a desk in the far corner of the Hold. Combat nodded to it, "behind there is a floor safe, I know it."

"How do you know?" I asked him.

"Because this Mini-Fort is of my own design. There's only one other like it and that's on the far north side of the Fort. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, it never got completed. This one did. I based it solely off old Fort blueprints. Just bits and pieces, not the entire place. I was oh so close to infiltrating them but the secret entrances and other ways in were never revealed. For the best." Combat bit his lip and then smiled down at me. He set his mug down to watch me.

"Right, a floor safe." I didn't know what that meant, but ok.

I spotted it right away. It was hiding just under the far right leg of the metal desk. My EFS labeled it as having a Master Lock and that my skill was not high enough to pick it, besides that I had 0 bobby-pins. Well um…if I couldn't pick it, what was I to do? At that moment I felt a weird tingling in my horn. _It needs to be unlocked,_ I thought, and it felt as though the whisperings filled the air. Wind shifted past me, gently, and there was an orange sparkle that simmered past. That was odd, my magic was normally turquoise. I locked my gaze on the lock of the safe. MASTER LOCK changed to ADVANCED LOCK to NOVICE LOCK at my thoughts of unlock.

"That's odd," said Combat Zone. His voice sounded distant. When I looked upward at the sound, my eyes shifted past the desk drawers, my EFS informed me of the search option and I opened the drawer. There was a tin of bobby-pins and a screwdriver placed conveniently next to it. I somehow knew what I needed to try even though I'd never done this before.

I inserted the bobby pin first, the squiggly side down. The screwdriver was placed next to it, like the key. I tried jiggling it, wondering what I needed to be doing with it, but as I turned the screwdriver, I felt a weird click, and then the bobby-pin snapped in my hoof. I tossed it down, frowning. "You felt a tumbler, and the bobby pin snatched on it." Combat Zone taught me. "If you manage to snag it, don't force it because there's more in there. You've just gotta get that thing all the way in there and turn the lock slowly."

"Got it!" I had 4 more bobby-pins. The next one broke, but I got 2 more tumblers. I wasn't sure how many there were, but I felt I was getting close. The 3rd bobby pin hit against a wall, I couldn't push it any further in and my attempt to snapped it. "Oh!" just one left.

I felt it slide against the tumblers, and I did it ever so slowly. This was my last chance. I wouldn't mess this up. The bobby-pin clicked and clacked, and the tumblers were lifted inside their housing. I felt the wall with the tip of the bobby-pin. I stopped moving it and I saw the screwdriver was reaching the end of the turn. The lock clicked into place and the door clicked ajar! "I did it!" I shouted in victory, lifting my head to smile at Combat and I smacked it into the underside of the desk. "Owww…" I rubbed at my aching horn, they were sensative.

Combat looked at my horn. "That thing was glowing orange the entire time." he looked in my eyes, "Go ahead and look at your loot, colt. You earned it."

HOLD PRIORITY CELL KEY

PLASMA CELLS x44

SADDLE'S ORDERS

SADDLE'S POWERFUL ENERGIZED PISTOL x1

"Is this for me, OwO," I looked up at Combat with disbelief. My EFS showed that this little pistol had a lot of damage.

"You deserve it, foal." Combat smiled. "Now grab that key, I knew it'd be in there. It's for that soldier's cage."

"Okie dokie!" I fetched the key and without waiting for Combat, I ran to the soldier. I glanced over at my orange juice, "Oh!" I had never held two spells before! But here was my drink still trailing after me.

I approached the cage, holding the key up. " _Help me,"_ I remembered him begging me in a raspy voice. His eyes were closed now. I put the key to the padlock, and it went in without resistance. "Hello…?" the pony in the cage was blinking awake, and he looked at me. "It's…you."

"Yes." I glanced at him with a sad look. I really wanted to help this pony, I felt it in my heart. Slowly I set down my orange juice, on the asphalt beside me. I had to focus on the task at hoof, I had to get him out of here.

"Please…" he coughed. "I'm so thirsty…" he looked at my drink.

It was my drink! I was so surprised that he'd asked me that I jerked the old iron key and it broke off in the lock. Oh no. I looked him in the eye. The padlock was the least of his worry. His lips looked dry and cracking, he was licking them but his tongue wasn't wet enough to do anything. I wondered when the last time he'd gotten to drink anything. I looked down at the golden liquid, orange juice. I licked my lips in anticipation for what it might taste like, wetting my lips. But that's what got me.

In my magic, I slowly and steadily picked up my drink, the turquoise aura lifting it to the pony in the cage, and it was small enough to slip through the bars. He grabbed at it and frantically twisted the cap off like it was an evil beast getting in his way and he just wanted it gone. He brought the drink to his lips, then he paused. He made eye contact with me and slowly lowered the drink. "Thanks."

My hoof was on the lock, and wind blew. Somepony muttered to another, "It's not due to be windy today, not on the radars at least," but I was barely paying any attention at all. "You need it more than I do." I stated simply and in one beat of my rebel heart to the next, orange magic filled the air, a powerful guiding light. It emanated from my horn, no, it emanated from within _me_. I felt my body lift off the surface of the Bridge, my hooves dangling below me. I heard gasps about me and I saw a couple soldiers, if not more staring directly at me. I wasn't quite sure what was happening, I opened my mouth to speak, but a burst of magic took my breath away and I shut my eyes, feeling relaxed and at peace.

The magic pulsed again and I opened my eyes, a feeling of happiness and exhilaration taking over me. My feet touched down again and I felt grounded, secure. I looked down at the soldier and I saw that my magic had shattered his lock and the gate was swinging open. "Holy…" the Guardian's voice reached my ears. He had just come walking into the Mini-Fort, coming to check on me maybe. "Orange Juice I can't believe it…" I turned around, bewildered by all the dumbfounded expressions everypony was giving me.

"What's wrong?" I asked my mentor.

"Look down at your flank," said the soldier in the cage. He had already finished half the orange juice and it was already helping his voice sound better.

I did so, looking down at my hip, not quite sure why it mattered, I mean, I was a blank flank, were ponies making fun of…me…"What in Equestria!" I jumped into the air, bucking in pure joy and excitement.

For there on my previously blank flank was a newly and brightly emblazoned cutie mark. A huge orange, outlined in black and shaded, freckled and with a couple shiny white highlights sat there, a red and white striped straw sticking out of it. There were some sparkles around the whole mark. "I…I…" I was so excited I couldn't breath.

"Come on colt, I think we should head back inside," the Guardian grinned from ear to ear at me. "I think you're going to want to tell you're friends this, right?"

"Right!" I yipped.

In the background, I vaguely heard Combat Zone saying, "Detain that soldier, he was labeled as high priority in Saddle's orders to her hoof-ponies. He doesn't deserve a cramped cage, or to be starved, I agree, but he's still dangerous. At least until we question him."

"That makes sense," said Bales in response, "Do it."

I was too excited to look back, and their voices were getting further and further away anyway. I think we'd have to come back to that later. For now I thought that at least the soldier was happy, and getting the nutrients he needed from the drink I gave him. It made my heart feel better. Like I said, it all came down to orange juice. Where did I get my name? My brother gave it to me. Where did I get my cutie mark? I gave it to me. I would keep showing the world that I deserved to have it.

"My brother…" before re-entering the Fort, I looked up at the sky. "Hi, my name's Orange Juice. This is how I got from the Stable to the Fort. But I wanna find my brother. I'm coming home, Red."

 _ **(Epilogue set for 10/28/18, yes that's today lol, posted at 7:45am**_

 _Here's quite a loaded chapter, 26 pages total on Google docs! Whoa. Now I wanted to mention that Pumpkin Spice makes a lot of references, hehe. I did a bit of research for this chapter to make sure things made sense. There's also a lot of foreshadowing scattered throughout the chapter, even in the flashback scenes. I first had foreshadowing in OJ's bad dream. Tide and Red being the biggest part of that. OJ never would've made certain conclusions and realizations without that dream. He has a brother for crying out loud! Did anyone notice that and make those connections during the flashback scenes that OJ references? Go back and read em again, they're important. The first is in Nit and Grit. The second is in Lightning and the Thunder. Now, pay attention to the farm scenes. The Orange Mr. Hoofy is an important piece of foreshadowing, "Hey, my name's Orange too!"_

 _Oof, I cannot believe we have wrapped it all the way up to this. I managed to tie up the entire story in a few short and sweet paragraphs. The dream definitely rocked the boat in that direction. Then OJ realized it on his own, just what his journey meant. And he got his cutie mark! I told you there was one action unexpected of a character that is still within character for them that reveals the true heart of the story. In this case the Rebel Heart. I'm so glad we made it this far. You guys are so amazing! Love ya!)_

 **Brohoof /)**


	48. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

"Oh! Aughhh!" a scream rang out through the darkened corridors of a once lively Stable.

"Breath, come on you have to breath."

"Don't you think I am breathing you dumb bitch?" came the angry voice of a familiar devil mare.

The metal was cold on her back. There weren't enough blankets beneath her. But that's what you get when you let the Stable fall into the incapable hands of dumb stallions. How the Overstallion had tarnished the Stable's name. "Oh, colt…" she breathed in and out deeply, trying not to hyperventilate. She remembered another colt that had ruined the name of the Stable. She had let him do it.

"UP-26 did this to me!" screeched Tide. "Stupid Faust damned party, I should've kept my eyes on the prize but I had nothing to grasp…" breath in, breath out.

"You're doing good." the blue mare in front of her smiled.

"Shove it Syringe."

There was another piercing scream from the security mare. Buck it hurt like a mother fucker. She'd never wanted this. Her only hope now was it came out a mare. She'd kept it secret this entire time, nopony could know. She blamed it on overeating due to stress, especially as the civil war broke out. She blamed her morning sickness on too much food. No one would question it and she wouldn't let them question her poor "habits" nor the fact that she refused to change them. All a cover. For _this_.

"Maybe they'll be pleased," said Syringe. "Our numbers have dwindled. We need another—"

"Don't you dare imply this is a damned boy!" Tide screamed as another dilation ripped through her. She felt a pressure, she knew the baby was pushing its way out. She couldn't look. Thank Faust Syringe was a doctor.

"I…wasn't," sighed her newest friend in all this. Not that they hadn't been "friends" before. "Ok," Syringe sighed heavily, "it's time. I'm gonna catch the foal, are you ready?"

"No! For crying out loud shut your mouth and do your job!" Tide was screaming.

Syringe nodded, "Okay, here we go." Tide yelled curses and anything else that she could think of, at the top of her lungs, as she pushed and the baby shoved and it was all coming out and oh by all the gods! "Stable-Tech be damned for ruining us!" where did that come from? Just anger, she breathed and all the pressure was gone. Oh no.

Her face must've paled considerably because Syringe stated calmly, "He's right here, don't worry."

" _He?"_ Tide hissed.

Syringe attempted a smile, "It's a colt."

All motherly instincts dropped away from her. She was no mother. This was an abomination. She was a devil mare and this was the anti-Faust. "Get that thing away from me!" she screeched.

"You touched me and suddenly I was a Lilac Sky. And you decided, purple just wasn't for you." Syringe sighed and cradled the baby.

There was a scurrying, hooves scuffled, blankets were folded and a small bed was prepared. A small piece of paper was snatched and a pen grasped in shaking hoof. This was all that was available to write the note that sealed the deal. The air went stale. Then there was nothing. It was cold. The voice of a lost foal lifted into the air. He was crying, but at least the blankets kept him warm.

He had a horn atop his head, his hair a dark shadowy red, almost black. Mahogany. He got it from his mother. His fur was a deep purple, like the night sky, a black violet. His eyes were awash with tears, but one could tell they would sparkle like stars, and they were mismatched. One amethyst purple and one ruby red. A note was tucked into his blankies, addressed to the Overstallion, and his younger brother, UP-26.

* * *

The radars in the Fort blipped and a phone rang. It was the emergency phone in the General's office. It was answered with haste, for he had never once had to pick up an outside call. But the caller ID read Stable 28 Overmare's office. The General was concerned, for the first time have no expectations for what this meant and confused by the feeling. He hadn't felt this in a long time, since he was still in the running to be General and all the training he'd gone through. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" but it wasn't a mare's voice that spoke to him on the other end of the line.

The radars blipped like crazy, and the Control Room was a buzz of energy. In the Command Center, printers and fax machines whirred dangerously, and receipts of coordinates were hastily ripped from the presses every half a minute or so. Soldiers were frantic, supervisors concerned, but getting no positive response from their commanders.

"What are they?" said one soldier, backing away from the screen in his rolling chair and looking to his captain over his soldier.

"Vertiherds. A horde of them." his voice trailed off and he put a hoof through his mane, his cap falling to the floor.

Meanwhile in the Command Center, a Lieutenant was pacing back and forth. "EMP the sons of bitches!"

"That's one time use and in case of emergency!" cried another soldier, a mare. Voice of reason his ass.

The Lt. snapped to, "We can repair the array with ease, we've got plenty of unicorn scientists, do we not?"

"Yes but do you know how long that would take? We could be hit with another attack before that could be dealt with and then we'd be sitting ducks."

"We have artillery," said another commander.

The Lt. was getting quite agitated, "I have been assigned to this as both the Colonel and the General are busy and the Guardian seems to have been overtaken with some other menial task."

"Well, the Fort stands for good. I wouldn't call a cutesceñera menial." said the mare.

"Whatever. But I am still in charge here. All in favor of EMP use, hooves raised and say aye." in that instance the room was outvoted 10-3 and the mare shook her head.

"You ponies are crazy." she got up and left.

"She'll get over it. You," the Lt. pointed at a pony and he snapped to attention, "tell the Control Room to set the EMP sequence. I'll be there to input my code. Somepony inform the General, we'll need a second officer as soon as possible." That second officer would be the determining factor, but the dire situation and dwindling time would have to be enough to convince them.

"Sir, I was just informed that General recently got off an emergency phone call from the Stable. He's sent the Guardian and the Puppydog down south into the hole to meet with somepony from the Stable."

"Is that safe?" the Lt. questioned. "It could be a trap."

"Whatever was said, the General didn't seem to have any second thoughts."

"He never does."

"Besides, those two can handle themselves, right?"

"They better." the Lt. Turned to the door. He needed to make his way to the Control Room fast. "Somepony bring me the coordinates and speed on those birds, we need estimates on time of arrival. Have our radars picked up weapons lock?"

Back in the Control Room the answer was yes, another machine was blipping, a red screen flashing. "Hey, we got confirmation of weapons power on the Scanner. They've got megaspells in there."

"Horseapples!" somepony yelled.

A pony burst into the room, her red mane a fiery flag flying behind her. The Colonel. "I have orders to input my code immediately. Is the EMP sequence ready?"

"Yes ma'am!" somepony shouted. It was nice to see a pony in charge come bursting into the room on a mission. They needed this display of power to keep their nerves about them.

"Good. Where is the Lieutenant, I must speak with him at once."

"I am here, ma'am."

She turned on him as a snake turns on its prey, "What are you thinking? Are you out of your mind?"

The Lt. took a step back, "I am thinking drastic times call for drastic measures, that is why it is called an emergency."

"Very good! I'm thinking you are brilliant!" The Colonel slapped him on the shoulder reassuringly. "Knock our enemies out of the sky, afterall we have artillery to support us if anymore come."

As they typed in their codes to start the detonation sequence, the Lt. turned his head to ask a question, "I have to wonder though, who exactly are they? They've got their weapons trained on us with no provocation on our part, and yet here they come out of nowhere."

"Not quite out of nowhere," the Colonel slammed her hoof on the big red button, indicating the Lt. should do the same. "They have provoked us, that's all that's necessary. Take them down. I've dealt with an Empire once before, I shall not have one befall me or my people again."

"Very good," and the Lt. pressed his big red button.

"THIRTY SECONDS UNTIL ELECTROMAGNETIC DETONATION." a computerized voice stated. "PLEASE DEACTIVATE ALL NON-ESSENTIAL ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT IMMEDIATELY." That voice was being broadcast throughout the entire Fort. This was no joke nor drill. It was real. At this very moment, surely red alarms were flashing and sirens throughout the Fort wailing. It would have been like this the moment the radars picked up on the very large flying objects anway and especially once they trained their weapons on the Fort.

"Sir, I have an ETA." a pony came running in from the Command Center.

"Wonderful!" he snatched the document from the smaller pony's hoof. "Not so wonderful," said as he scanned it.

"What is it?" asked the Colonel.

"They'll be here in 20 seconds according to this, weapons fire in just under 25."

Not 5 seconds after he said that did the computer say "TWENTY SECONDS UNTIL ELECTROMAGNETIC DETONATION…" but that was 5 seconds too late. It was cutting it close. Very very close.

"I am certain it'll at least knock out their weapons before they can fire upon us." said the Colonel with a grim expression.

"I'm sure…"

"TEN SECONDS. 9…8…7…6…5…" at the count of 5 the lights in the room changed from orange to red, DEFCON 1, the highest state of alert. The Vertiherds were upon them.

"Alert!" shouted an attendant turning in her seat. "We have weapons fire confirmation. 1 bomb, traces of megaspell magic, but it may not be as powerful as we originally thought."

"It'll be powerful enough," said the Colonel.

"...1…DETONATION CONFIRMED."

The room went quiet. It was as though nopony even breathed. Everypony was holding their breaths, waiting to see what happened next. The lights flickered and dimmed to nothing and on came the flood lights, basking the Control Center in shadows. "CRITICAL SYSTEMS MALFUNCTION DUE TO EMP RADIATION." the computer stated. "REBOOTING."

"We've lost our radars!" said somepony.

"The Scanner is blank but it's still online. It's not reading though," said another.

"Why haven't the backup generators kicked in?"

"Did they drop a megaspell?"

Questions were thrown around desperately, but no answers could be found. That's when there was a loud boom, and a crash rocked the Fort. "REBOOT COMPLETE." the lights came back on only to bring with it Critical Condition alarm sirens. "CONDUCTING DIAGNOSTICS."

"Systems back online and we fire's in the Atrium, Greenhouse and Northern wings. We've lost a huge chunk of our food supply." an attendant spun to face the Colonel in his seat, lowering his cap from his head and looking deeply lost in utter terror and worry.

"What the buck are we going to do?!" the Lt. cried out.

The Colonel took immediate action, "Get me confirmation on any other weapons drop and the status of those Sweetie Belle Boeings."

"Will do, very good ma'am," affirmed the mare attendant on duty. There was still no mistaking the slight quiver in her words. She faced her screens once more, "We're reading 3 large objects falling out of the sky towards southern Bittsberg, and no new weapons fire readings, though I'd need to see the Scanner for further confirmation."

"Confirmed on weapons fire readings." said the stallion at the Scanner.

"However," stated the mare, and this was wear things grew dire, "I am picking up one Vertiherd still intact and it is about to land near the Stable. If my readings are correct they have a chance of missing the radius of our EMP field. I'd need to see readings from the Command Center for further analysis but unless they detected the EMP somehow, within the proper timing of their landing sequence and our detonation, there's a high probability they're also about to crash."

"Sounds like good news," said the Lt.

"Only if they weren't about to crash into the gear door of the Stable. If there's any good ponies left down there, the radiation we just unleashed, added to the radiation of the megaspell in that Vertiherd's cargo, plus the residual radiation us Fort ponies have evolved to endure but the Stable dwellers have not, they are most likely to suffer heavy radiation sickness, if not death."

The attendant took a breath after her speech but the Lt. said, "Who cares, we've protected the good ponies of the Fort."

The Colonel stamped a hoof. "Somepony in this room tell the General he needs to get the Stable on the emergency line again!" she commanded and with that she bolted from the room. "And Lieutenant?"

"Yes ma'am?" he stepped onto the threshold to watch her tail bobbing away.

"You're fired!"

* * *

A hoof was slammed hard onto the metal table. The Detainment Facility was close to the Northernmost wings affected by the minispell blast. The lights here were a mess, most not working and others flickering violently. Some construction grade lamps had been set up to compensate, running on what very little backup energy they had in this section. They worked fine as interrogation lights.

"Quite the coincidence, dontcha think captain, that these tubs show up and bomb our Fort the moment you wake up from your cat nap."

The soldier in tattered military fatigues looked up into the eyes of the one known as the Inquisitor. He was first in command here in the Detainment Facility, right above the Warden. "Perhaps." he stated.

"Where's your nametag?" asked the Inquisitor.

"I don't know, must've come off through the torture I endured by the raiders." said the soldier.

"What's your name?" the Inquisitor tapped a pen against a clipboard, a blank piece of paper clipped on. This pony had given him absolutely nothing.

"I told you, my memory is foggy." sighed the soldier.

"Look, you can't feign innocence for long. Tell me the truth and perhaps the Fort can help you, we can come to a mutual agreement."

 _Bang, bang, bang,_ came a knock on the interrogation room's heavy titanium alloy security door. "Who is it?" sighed the Inquisitor. When there was no response he glanced over to the little window on the door. "Faust," he sighed, "who let you back in the Facility?"

"I never got the chance to leave," called Combat Zone. "The exit got blocked by debris when the megaspell hit. We're a bit trapped in here. But that gives me time to work my magic."

"An ex raider? We discussed this." the Inquisitor rose a brow.

"Have you made any progress in the, oh," Combat raised his hoof to read his invisible watch, "say 3 or 4 hours you've been in here with that bastard?"

"No."

"You're way too soft. I can handle this. He was originally my prisoner."

"He doesn't fall under your jurisdiction anymore." stated a gruff voice from outside. The Warden.

The Inquisitor got up. "Well, I warned you," he said quietly to the soldier hoofcuffed to the metal table bolted to the floor. "Open up," he pounded on the door, and the Warden unlocked the door.

Combat stared at the stallion, they were about eye level. "Well?"

The Inquisitor heaved a breath. "He's all yours."

"What?!" gasped the Warden. "You can't!"

"He can, and just did," cut in Combat and he skipped into the room, taunting the Warden. The security door shut.

The soldier looked up and his mouth widened in an O, easily recognizing a raider. "Yeah, this isn't gonna be pretty," smiled Combat, cracking his wrist bones and smirking. He moved to the lamp, turning it in a different direction so it would be harder to see what he did to the soldier.

He dug into his inventory pockets, knowing he had come prepared. He withdrew a pocket knife, a rather large one, with a serrated, shark tooth blade when he flipped it open. "What are you gonna do with that?" the soldier's eyes widened.

"First thing's first." Combat plucked at the hole in the soldier's uniform where a name patch belonged with the tip of the blade. It also happened to be wear the soldier's heart lie. "A name patch doesn't go missing like that on accident and my hoof-soldiers wouldn't have any use for it. Since cleaning the cell you were in turned up nothing, that leaves only one other option."

"What's that, barbarian," spat the soldier.

Combat wiped his face, then with one quick motion, he sliced the shirt of the soldier's vest open. "Strip search!" he spat right back.

"Excuse me?! I have rights!" stated the stallion.

"Not in the wasteland you don't, dumbass." Combat produced a key that he'd snagged as he passed the Inquisitor on the way in here, and he unlocked the hoofcuffs. At the sudden movement of the soldier, Combat glocked him in the side of the head with the hilt of the knife. "Back down, and I won't say that again." the stallion hit the concrete floor hard, forelegs in front to brace for impact.

He looked up with a determined snarl, but he didn't make a move to attack Combat again. "Now what, eh?"

"Now, I want you up against that wall, back toward me, hooves above your head on the bricks." Combat pointed with the knife to the position he wanted the stallion to go.

"Whatever."

Combat kicked him in the gut eliciting a huge "oof!"

"Get the buck up before I break a rib, colt."

"I'm no colt," coughed the stallion, slowly getting up and moving to the wall. He put his fore hooves up above his head against the bricks, his butt toward Combat. He flicked his tail, taunting the ex raider.

Combat didn't need taunting, he was quick on the uptake and already prepared for what he needed to do next. He sliced the pants off the stallion. The fell in a sad heap around him on the floor. "What next, hmm, search all the pockets? You won't find a thing."

"Interesting, thanks for the info. Then I won't be wasting my time." Combat played at the waistband of the soldier's briefs, teasing the stallion. That sent shivers up his spine. Combat traced the stallions back, before cutting off the underwear too. "You're not gonna like any of this, but I don't care what you like," stated Combat.

He didn't hesitated. He began to hoof the other stallion in quite unseemingly locations, starting with his ass cheeks and then right up under his tail and straight to the tailhole. "Oh!" yelped the soldier. Combat goosed the stallion, then straight up horseshoed him. He would've loved to press the torture and hoof him, but there was no way this tight colt would be able to hide something that far up his anus. "St-stop that," murmured the stallion.

"Your wish is my pleasure," laughed combat and moved from his butt to his crotch. First underneath each of his hind legs, around the taint, and up through the crevice beside his goodies. Then Combat actually reached for those hanging balls and fondled them.

"You're bucking enjoying yourself, you pervert!" gasped the soldier, but he sighed, and Combat could _see_ the stallion liked the feeling himself.

Well, it wasn't around the crown jewels, but perhaps and simpler location. He stroked the sheath of the stallion, where he could already feel it steadily growing. "Careful, you'll push whatever you're hiding out." Combat smirked.

The soldier looked over his shoulder at the ex raider leader, grimacing, "No…I won't, I am not enjoying this….ohhh…I'm not!"

"Keep telling yourself that," Combat grinned as he got the stallion full mast and a little piece of green fabric popped out with it. Combat lowered himself in order to grab it, but why not play with this buck even more and further the torment only one last step. Combat may be allied with the Fort now, but who said anything about shoving every bad temptation away? He licked the stallions shaft before coming up, then spun around and walked briskly to the table. He heard the stallion collapse. "I can't…believe you."

"It felt good and you know it!" said Combat, bringing the patch to the light. "Lt. Colonel Fjord Marion Foxtrot. Interesting name. Not one you hear in the wasteland. Leading me to believe you're not from around here. Are ya?"

"Buck off!"

Combat spun around so fast the soldier didn't even have time to blink, and in the next instant the rather large knife had buried itself into a chink between two bricks. Quite the immaculate and intimidating aim, for it was right next to the captain's face, save for a few inches, and quite a powerful through, to bury itself in the mortar of the brick. "Buck…" he whispered.

"Tell me," said Combat, "though I think I already know the answer. Where does one get such a fancy ass name?"

"The Enclave."

 ** _(Deleted scenes coming up :3_**

 _Time to wrap up with some mysteries and a huge cliffhanger. What's become of the Fort after this attack, what'll become of the Stable? Who are the Enclave and what are they planning. Don't forget Circle of Ash, for there's still some mystery shrouding the Battle of Union Rags Station. What became of Blitzfire? Where are the Guardian and OJ going next and if the Overmare didn't contact the General, who did? We suddenly have it revealed that Red is in fact OJ's brother, according to Tide, so what is OJ going to do about it?_

 _Stay tuned for the next story. I have a sequel planned, but so does Yolo and his will come first. We are working out the details now and I cannot wait. Don't go anywhere folks! DJ Pon3, out!)_

 **Brohoof /)**


	49. Deleted Scenes

_(Note: Chapter 1… If this intro had remained canon we most definitely would not have had the same story. The lessons would not be the same and I don't think we would have had as significant as a cutie mark in the end. I had not even fully planned out this story when I wrote this scene, so this is more of a brainstorm than anything. I throw out names to test the water and try to come up with the best. I eventually realized right before I decided to delete this, the best way to show OJ's personality was through flashbacks to his past life and what he was like._

 _By writing the most important flashback of the story, OJ was born and the beginning could be then tied to the end once I came to it. **Did anyone catch that?** The main goal of the protagonist in this story was to get to taste orange juice. Not go get reinforcements for Red, not fight raiders, not battle the ashlings. These are all subplots and major story arcs in order to provide valuable lessons. **Orange Juice's goal this whole time was to drink some orange juice**. Hehe)_

 **Orange Sorbet**

I don't know how long I had been sitting there in that spot when I looked up and found the floating robot staring down at me. It was spherical in shape, and polished to a bright silver, with other shiny blue and yellow plating on it. It had one big camera as an eye, the lens a vivid purple color. All around it was a reinforced cage for protection and on top of its head were four antennas. It also had slots and different areas that could open.

It's lens cap closed and then opened. It had blinked at me! I blinked back, staring up in wonder. I slowly pushed myself forward, straightening up. I holstered my gun and using the back of a hoof, I dried my eyes.

"Hell-oh," it said in a robot voice.

I jerked, "Ack!"

"Do-Not-Be-Uh-fraid. Beep boop." It actually said the words 'beep boop' it wasn't a sound.

I laughed. "You're funny."

"What-Is-Your-Name?" it's vocal range was up and down on different words. I smiled up at it for a second until I realized what it had said.

"Oh, I uh, my name…?"

"What-Is-Your-Name?" it repeated.

"UP-26?" I didn't know what to say. I didn't really have a name.

"That-Is-A-Des-ig-nation. Not-A-Name."

"Then…I don't have a name." I hung my head, feeling down. The mare's hadn't given us cutie-marks, they certainly wouldn't give us names.

"Blop. Non-Sense. No-pon- _neeee_ …Has-Ever-Called-You-Some-thing?"

I lit up, perking my ears and looking up into that purple lens. "Orange! Somepony has called me Orange!"

It's eye flickered red, registering something. "Searching. Orange Sorbet? Orange Custard? Orange Yogurt? Orange Smoothie? Orange Milkshake?"

"Orange Juice." I whispered.

"Or-range Juice?"

"Yeah," I nodded. I remember seeing a mare drinking orange juice once. She said it was her favorite drink because it was citrusy but sweet, unlike lemonade. I had never had either beverage, I wasn't allowed, but ever since, orange juice had become my favorite drink too.

"Orange Juice," the robot said more definitely. "Do-You-Want-To-Come-With-Me?" It seemed to sink lower in the air, looking into my eyes and searching for an answer there, if a robot could do that.

"Where did you come from?"

"The-yee Fort. North-Bittsberg. I'm-A-Recruiter. There-Is-Some-pony-Waiting-For-er-You."

* * *

 _(Note: Chapter 9… The reason I threw this out is because I may have stopped touching on Bookworm, but I didn't want a flashback implying her death so heavily. She could still be alive, we don't know. I have not decided, and so this flashback scene is not canon.)_

 **Uncertain Reasons**

 _I would look forward to every time Bookworm queued me just to read books to me. They were mostly big books of big words, but I didn't care. I sat and listened every time. Every time until she never queued me again and I was told there was a mare who had passed away recently of uncertain reasons. The stallions liked to say uncertain reasons meant she was decommissioned like a stallion, but mares didn't receive that sort of thing, right? I didn't know what passed away meant, or what uncertain reasons were. I didn't even really know what a decommission was, just that it was bad._

* * *

 _(Note: Chapter 20… I chose to delete this because I found that it was unecessary to the story. I also thought that we didn't need yet another Stable 14 flashback scene. Nexus and Blitz fought a lot in there, yes, we understand the implications. My plan is to go through more detail with their relationship past and present in a new story. This scene is not canon and does not apply. I have not officially decided how Blitz got his scar. If there are any suggestions you for certain leave comments 3)_

 **Bad Blood**

As he laid down by my side again, I caught sight of the scar across his chest again. I was still curious, but I didn't want to make him upset by asking. I knew he wanted to wait. So instead, I closed my eyes and pressed my forehead into the crook of his neck.

"I'm guessing you're waiting to hear that story, huh?"

"Wha?" I opened my eyes again to find myself tracing my hoof up and down the scar without realizing. "What story?"

"Well, I never did tell you about this gash." Blitz started shaking and I looked up at him to realize he was chuckling.

"What's so funny Blitzy? I don't think it's funny that you got hurt." I pouted.

He stopped suddenly and frowned. His eyes got that faraway look and I knew what he was thinking now. He was remembering something from the past. I could see it rolling around in his head, through that lost look in his eyes. So I kept quiet, knowing it was best to wait.

 **OOO**

Ravager Blitzfire

 _The Stable was still quiet as ever. I still hadn't escaped, and I knew I had a long way to go yet. Power had been cut to this level, and that meant the elevator was offline. The elevator was the only way back up to the door. If I couldn't get to the generator, then I couldn't turn power back on. It was only a matter of time before Nexus found me once again. This time, I'd be cornered._

 _I had that gun in my hoof. I couldn't stop staring at it. It would always mean the broken trust of my lost friendship. I knew I had destroyed that. I wouldn't even let Nexus get vengeance either. I was too selfish._

 _I shook my head, stopping at yet another closed door. I had to stop getting distracted. Nexus was an engineer. He'd be moving a lot more quickly than me. I didn't want to die down here, even if I knew I deserved to. So I put the gun in a holster on my leg, and forced a control panel from it's socket to reveal the circuitry underneath._

 _I wasn't very good at these door controls. I knew from listening to Nexus spiel on and on about things like this during our college days a little about what I needed to do. But mostly I hadn't paid attention. Wires and control boards and all that junk were not my cup of tea. But I was quickly learning._

 _A spark flew, zapping me and making me gasp. I pulled my hoof away and shook it off. There was one glowing light in there, but that was a loose wire and I'd just touched the damn thing. I sucked on the burn for a second before reaching in to try again._

 _I"d barely even touched it when the door powered up and hissed open along its hydraulic track. The circuit board had come back online and zapped me, causing me to fall backward, otherwise I wouldn't have narrowly avoided a slash from a knife. Of course, that knife was being held by Nexus. He'd found me._

 _I pushed myself away from him as he entered the hallway. He wasn't speaking, and all I could do was breath. The time for talking was over. Nexus wasn't giving me anymore chances. He'd lost all mercy, and now knew only ruthlessness. I scrambled to my hooves, turning to run. He lashed out again, nicking my arm and I cried out._

 _He really was trying to kill me. I couldn't get the thought from my head. I knew I had messed up. I just didn't want it to end like this. I didn't want him to be angry anymore. I didn't want him to hate me. That's why I needed to escape._

 _I ran to another open door, one I hadn't gone through yet. I found myself on a metal bridge overlooking a maintenance room. There were flashing lights in here, and the upkeep, obviously, was terrible. Parts of this room had fallen apart, some metal jutting from the wall in some places. One had to wonder how that had even happened, but hey, it had been about 200 years._

 _Behind me, Nexus's hoofstep clanged on the metal floor and I jumped. I spun around to see him coming into the room after me. This was a dead end. Quite literally if the flash of that knife was any indication. My lip quivered, but I knew the time for protesting was over. I would have to fight back._

 _I knew I didn't have that in me. I couldn't fight my best friend. I'd keep running until the end. I took a step back from him and he cried out as he slashed once more at me. He missed, and I kept moving back until my rump hit the railing. I was trapped. I opened my mouth and worked my jaw, looking between him and the ledge. The floor wasn't too far down…_

 _I pushed backward when he came toward me, scared. I couldn't move, but I heard the metal groan. Nexus grabbed me by the collar of my Overstallion uniform. The knife was to my throat. I was still struggling, but I looked into Nexus's eyes, silently pleading with him not to do this. He shook his head, tears forming. The knife was to my throat. I knew he couldn't possibly want this._

 _But he did. He began to draw blood from me as the knife cut into me. I barely felt it. My heart was all over the place, a trapped wild animal. I would be dead soon so why did it matter? I closed my eyes._

 _CRACK! The railing snapped and I began to fall backward. The knife slashed me as I fell, and for a second, Nexus held on. I thought he would pull me up. Maybe he would save me, and we could fix this. I stared up at him, choking against the collar of my shirt. I hoped he would change his mind. I hung there, gasping for breath._

 _My shirt began to rip, allowing for more air, but still he didn't move to save me or kill me. Why was it so silent? I opened my mouth to speak._

 _"Don't." said Nexus. "I don't wanna hear any more of what you have to say."_

 _He tried to bring me up to him, so he could use the knife to finish it. But my shirt caught on a metal beam sticking from the wall, ripping it further. Nexus wasn't able to hold on and I fell straight into that beam. I saw what was coming. I tried to brace myself as the beam cut into my chest._

 _"Arp!" I squealed. It cut a long diagonal line from my armpit to my opposite shoulder. I smashed into the floor below, a puddle of blood forming around me. I was bleeding profusely. The cut was deep. The last thing I saw before I passed out was Nexus looking down at me from the walkway. Then I blacked out._


	50. Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements

First and foremost I wanted to start off by giving a big thank you to Yolo Hobo Joe. He has guided me throughout this process so much by helping me understand Kkat's Fallout Equestria so much more than I ever could and by giving me insights into the Incident of Stable 28. These stories are so intertwined that we couldn't help but working together so much. The friendship we have built is so important to me Yolo, so keep on doing your thing. Brohoof! /)

Secondly and really importantly, I want to shout out all my readers, especially Foxy. I really appreciate the reviews to this and any story. It really helps to get me through rough times by providing me with a good laugh and some fun insight into my own work. I really appreciate the motivation you guys inspired in me, regardless of comments or not. By seeing the views pile up it means so much to me. As of 10/28/18 at 8am CT we are at 2,809 and that is so amazing! I am so so grateful to all of you for sticking with me.

So here's a quick update on what's to come. I plan a huge intermission type story with Yolo, so stick around for that, because we have left off on some major cliffhangers. At the same time, I have Rebel Heart's sequel in the works. It'll take place mostly at the same time as the events in the intermission, but towards the middle through about 3 quarters way through the sequel, the intermission and the sequel will meet up with the intermission end. That's the base plan, but it'll take a lot of planning, work and patience. Hang in there guys because both of these projects are exciting!

Meanwhile, the prequel for Shades and Tails, Pick Me Up Antics, had been put on hold at the same time as Rebel Heart. I'm here to say sorry for the long hiatus. I've been battling through some depression and I'm slowly working to make myself better.

I love you guys and appreciate everything. Don't let me down and I won't let you down. I loved going through this journey with you and can't wait to see you on more adventures! Keep reading, anything you find that you enjoy, not just what I write. Reading opends whole new unexplored worlds and keeps our creative, imaginative minds open and ready for more. Thank you guys for being my inspiration. Until next time, love you guys!

Brohoof! /)

Dedicated to YoloHoboJoe, for being there when I needed it.


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